


Take Care

by RileySavage7



Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Dark, Drug Use, F/F, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Minor Character Death, Rapper!Becky, Recreational Drug Use, References to Depression, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-26
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2019-07-17 23:11:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 47,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16105748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RileySavage7/pseuds/RileySavage7
Summary: Even in an alternate universe where Becky is a rapper, Charlotte is a fan, trust is like a broken mirror, love is something like medicine and true happiness is rare, CharLynch is still probably gonna be endgame.A CharLynch - AU





	1. The Concert

**Author's Note:**

> A few things before we start this journey.
> 
> These “ * *” denotes Becky’s lyrics
> 
> These “ (( )) ” are used for lyrics other than Becky's (so basically, another in-fic rapper or something) 
> 
> I'll be posting new chapters every week.
> 
> My Tumblr is RileySav7 - look me up and we can chat about the story and CharLynch in general. 
> 
> Every chapter also has a song connected with it. Chapter one's song is Power Trip by J.Cole ft. Miguel. Check it out if you want - it's pretty good.

***She wants the commitment , I’m in for the fun,**

**I can’t help if she thinks I’m the one.**

**When her heart goes on her sleeve**

**That’s when I tend to run.**

**Love’s a loaded gun, baby**

**Loving me is dumb, baby ***

Charlotte Flair smiled when she caught herself humming along to Becky Lynch’s latest offering.

She had busied herself while waiting for Natalya to pick her up and drive them over to the gym. These photo frames were not going to clean themselves, and Charlotte, being the neat-freak she was, loved making sure everything in her house was spotless. She was often ridiculed by her friends for her tendency to wipe down every surface in her house at least twice a day. But cleaning was fun for Charlotte – therapeutic almost. And it was also the best time to listen to her ever expanding playlists.

Charlotte adored rap music. She grew up listening to OutKast, Wu Tang and Diddy. Her parents could never figure out how she got into this sort of music, but they indulged her interest – always buying her the albums and other merchandise that she adorned her childhood room with.

These days she mainly listened to Becky Lynch though. The Irish rapper known for her quirky punch lines and mid-tempo flow that was reminiscent of Left-Eye. Charlotte adored TLC, but she might just adore Becky more.  
She knew all the Irish woman’s songs and lyrics. She never had the time to keep up with the star’s life though; being as busy as she was prevented her from spending hours and hours on the internet, looking up videos and interviews of Becky like most fans would. Charlotte was just content with listening to her music. It made her dance, or at least attempt to dance, and it made her laugh. Sometimes Becky would add in a weird pun and Charlotte would find herself chuckling at the random woman who had seemingly turned the rap genre on its head.

“Knock-knock... why the hell do you not lock your doors?”, Charlotte’s friend Natalya asked, voice raised so she could be heard over the thumping music.

Charlotte quickly shuffled to the stereo, turning the music down somewhat.

“I was ready to leave ten minutes ago. Why are you late?” she asked as she pulled Natalya in for a quick hug.

“I had to go to the bank to sort some stuff out – whatever- let’s go. I need to see that hot new instructor again”.

Charlotte rolled her eyes and switched off the stereo.

“His name is Seth. And please don’t do anything embarrassing. I told you I saw him making out with a big tattooed guy in the parking lot last week”.

The pair walked out the front door. Charlotte turned the key and checked to see if the door was locked properly.

“God, everyone’s gay nowadays!”, Natalya said with an exasperated sigh.

Charlotte gave a raspy chuckle. “Watch it sister”.

\---

“Have you thought about getting a ticket?”, Charlotte asked on their way back home after a lengthy gym session. Natalya was driving a little too fast for Charlotte’s liking, but the 31-year old blonde couldn’t really complain since she was yet to get her licence.

“Here’s the thing: I don’t like her music. I never have and I never will. Maybe... maybe it’s good – I don’t know, but I’m not going to spend $300 to watch some white girl rap for three hours”. Natalya made a left turn.

“Well, she sings sometimes”, Charlotte countered weakly.

“You’re the one who’s been excited about seeing her perform live for months. You should totally go”.

“But alone? Sasha’s busy that night so I literally have no one else I can take with. Unless I take my dad – which would be worse than going alone. I’ll look like such a loser”. Charlotte wished that Natalya could turn to look at her so she could give in to Charlotte’s pout and pleading emerald eyes.

“You are not a loser. Granted, you have weird taste in music... Just go okay! You need a night out”.

\---

“Hey Becks, you’re on in fifteen. You ready?”

  
Becky Lynch looked at the tall and broad man in front of her. Why her manager insisted on wearing his sunglasses inside at night she could never understand. It was just one of the many things he did that annoyed her endlessly.

  
“‘Course I’m ready. I’ve been doing this for years, Mike”. Becky was even more agitated than usual.

She was tired. This tour has been excruciating. Every other night she had a show and that meant travelling, that meant twenty states in six weeks on a tour bus full of people she had already grown tired of weeks ago. The worst part was that she still had two months of touring ahead. Two months of her arsehole manager and the rest of her obnoxious and uninteresting roadies.

  
“Alright, alright. I can see you’re a little grumpy...” Mike the manager, known in the music world as The Miz, reached into his dress jacket’s inner pocket and revealed a small baggy with white powdery contents.  
Becky narrowed her eyes – a sign of pure irritation from the orange haired woman.

“Why don’t we turn that negative energy into some good, positive energy? Fresh from Peru, baby”. He dangled the little baggy in front of her face.

Becky swatted his hand away. “I don’t want that shit! I don’t wanna use it and I don’t want it near me, got that?”

Miz put his hands up in defence. “Just try’na help. There’s no need to go crazy. Besides, this is actually for those girls of yours. They asked me to hold on to it”.

Now Becky was really pissed. Peyton and Billie were definitely going to get reprimanded for this. They were well aware of Becky’s aversion to any type of narcotics.

“Get rid of that shit now! And bring me those two fuckin’ idiots after the show”.

Becky huffed as she watched Miz disappear out of her dressing room. She took a sip of Evian and closed her eyes. She needed to compose herself, get stage-ready. She needed to get rid of this feeling of being trapped in a box that’s locked from the outside and the key she has just won’t work because whoever locked the box from the outside left the key in the…

“Can I get you anything? Anything that’s maybe NOT cocaine?”

Becky turned around and found that her assistant Mandy Rose was still in the dressing room. The short blonde woman had been so quiet that Becky forgotten about her.  
Becky gave a weak smile.

“No, I’m alright. I just need a moment to myself if you don’t mind”. Mandy nodded and made her way out of the dressing room.

“Come on, lass. Get it together. Put on that happy face and go out there”. Becky tried to psych herself up, but it had failed miserably. She was just going to have to zombie her way through this show, too.

\---

***When I hit the streets ya’ll know it ain’t Sesame,**

**Heard them bitches speak,**

**I don’t know why they testin’ me**

**They wanna see me freak,**

**I don’t know why they stressin’ me**

**Yeah,**

**I don’t know why they stressin’ me**

**Twenty nine years, you still ain’t seen the best of me***

The crowd went crazy as the beat slowly faded out. Becky wiped her forehead with the face towel hanging over her shoulder.

“Alright, Miami! How’re ya feeling tonight? ‘Cos I feel like straight fuckin’ fire!”

The crowd cheered as they heard Becky’s famous catchphrase.

Becky looked over the crowd, about 6000 people she guessed. Her eyes scanned the front row. Mostly teenagers with their cell phones out.

But amongst those in the front row was an older woman. A woman with brilliantly blonde hair. Becky’s focused shifted to the woman. She was tall, toned and the red top with the plunging neckline she was wearing showed off her impressive cleavage. Becky nodded approvingly.

“Alright ya’ll... I’d uh, I’d like to do a little something different for ya tonight”. Becky turned to her DJ. “Truth, spin a freestyle beat for me, lad”. She got the thumbs up from her DJ and a low tempo, West Coast type beat began to blast over the speakers.

Becky looked right at the blonde, trying to meet her gaze. She was looking at the stage, but somehow she wasn’t really looking directly at Becky.

“This song is uh... it’s called... Taller Than Me”.

***Look at that girl over there,**

**The one with the sun in her hair.**

**Trying real hard not to stare**

**But I am and I hope she don’t care.**

**Yeah.**

**From up here she looks taller than me**

**From up here she looks stronger than me**

**I just wish she’d look longer at me**

**Yeah I just wish..**

**I just wish you’d look over here**

**Cos I know you’ll disappear...***

\---

“You were great out there, Becks”

“Yeah...and that freestyle was so LIT!”

Becky looked at Billie first before she turned to Peyton. She said nothing, just took a sip of water.

“Miz told us you were... a little upset about the whole _coke_ thing and we’re so sorry”.

Billie made the mistake of putting her hand on the Irish woman’s shoulder.  
Becky had a vice grip on the younger woman’s wrist and looked her dead in the eye.

“Pull that shit again and you’re both gone. Clear?”

Billie simply nodded. Peyton spoke softly. “Crystal, Becks”.

Becky let go of Billie’s wrist and followed Mandy to the meet and greet spot.

“God, what a psycho”.

“Seems like she’s going nuts again”.

Peyton put a loving arm around Billie’s shoulder.

“And she freakin’ hurt my wrist”, Billie pouted.  
Peyton gently stroked her girlfriend’s cheek.

“I’ll kiss it better for you”. Just before Peyton could bring Billie’s wrist to her mouth, the two Australian-born girls spotted a tall blonde heading their way. They look at each other first and then folded their arms at exactly the same time.

“I’m so sorry, I think I’m lost” Charlotte said as she approached the two girls.

Billie rolled her eyes. “Clearly you’re lost. Unless you’re some kind of VVIP, this side is completely off limits”. The annoyance was very evident in her tone.

“Well, I was just looking to meet Becky. Uh, Lynch”. The blonde gave a cautious smile.  
“You’re not a weird stalker who’s gonna try to kill her or something, right?”, Billie asked with a raised eyebrow.

“No… just a regular fan”, it came out as more of a question than a statement.

Peyton sighed. “Follow us. We’ll take you to ol’ Becky”.

“Maybe this puts us back in her good graces”, Billie said to know one in particular.

The two raven-haired women walked ahead of Charlotte, talking about Becky. The blonde gathered that they knew her – maybe they worked for her- but she didn’t ask.

“She’s probably signing her fifth pair of tits by now”, Billie joked.

“She’s probably already scanned the needy fangirl section for her next conquest”. Peyton giggled at her own comment.

“The one from Atlanta the other night was such a stalker, she asked Becky if she could take a lock of her hair as a fuckin’ memento”.

“You’d think the hickies she gives are enough of a souvenir”.

Charlotte furrowed her brow.

She didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but she couldn’t help it. If what these girls were saying was true, Becky Lynch is as much of a douchebag she always claimed on her songs.

Somehow Charlotte had always thought it was just an act and that the real Becky was a sweet and caring intellectual who liked... tea or something. The leggy blonde sighed and accepted the new information as the truth. After all, she’d been wrong about people before.

\---

“Can you make this out to ‘my wife Lana’?”

Becky gave half a smile. “Sure”. She handed the poster back to the blonde woman, who gave her a business card in response.

“If you’re ever around these parts again... Give me a call”. She winked and disappeared in the crowd.

Becky took a few more photos with fans and gave out a couple of hugs. She even found herself laughing at a rather tipsy fan who said he would have asked her out had she not been ‘a gay’.

“Alright folks, Becky loves ya and all, but we gotta hit the road!”, Miz said over the bustle of the crowd.

Becky waved at the few fans still there and tried her best not to fake the smile. She put on the hood of her sweatshirt and made her way backstage.

Miz was just behind her.

“We have two radio shows tomorrow. One starts at seven, you gotta be there by six-thirty for the sound check. Second one’s at nine. After that you gotta do the Billboard cover shoot. We have a lunch meeting with the label and then it’s Dolph Ziggler’s podcast. Dude’s been pushing your shit since way back, we owe him”.

Becky turned around and stood face to face with Miz.

“Can I just have a few fucking minutes to MYSELF? Is that too much to ask?”

She turned back around -wanting to walk away- and was now faced by three women. Two she had no interest in speaking to and... and the tall blonde from the front row.

“We found her backstage. She wanted to meet you”, Peyton said coolly.

“Says she’s not a stalker so…” Billie added. 

Miz sighed impatiently. “Well Becky loves all her fans but she wants to be alone right now. Maybe next time”, Miz suggested.

Becky’s eyes still hadn’t left the woman.  
“Becky can speak for herself, you know?” the Dublin native asserted. She shot a vicious look at Miz who read the situation instinctively and then spoke.

“Peyton, Billie, why don’t we head out to that new club everybody’s been talking about? Night’s still young”. He glanced at Becky and then at Charlotte. “Becky’s a big girl – she can take care of herself”.

The two woman dressed in tight black dresses shrugged and followed Miz. Becky turned to watch the three leave. As soon as she could no longer see them, she turned to the woman.

“I’m sorry about all that”. She signalled into the general direction of where Miz and the girls were headed.

Charlotte gave a small smile. “I get it. Everyone wants to be around Becky Lynch”.She found it strange when Becky shrugged.

“I don’t want just anybody around”. She looked down as she said this.

“I’m sorry... If this is a bad time I’ll just leave... Although I’ll have no idea where to go” Charlotte’s voice trailed off as she looked around.

“What’s your name?”

Charlotte’s breath hitched in her throat. For the first time it felt like Becky was actually speaking her and her alone.

“Charlotte. Charlotte Flair”.

Becky smiled. “Flair? That’s quite a last name. So does that mean that if I do it with ya, I’m doing it with FLAIR?” She chuckled at her own joke.

“I guess”, Charlotte’s smile was bright, but she still had a look of unease on her face.

“Well Charlotte Flair, I’m sure you know me, but let me properly introduce myself. Becky Lynch – rapper extraordinaire and pun enthusiast. So would you like a photo or are we just gonna stand here in this hallway all night?”, the orange haired woman asked playfully.

“I guess we could take a selfie, if you insist”. Charlotte took out her phone and opened the camera app. Becky moved closer and put her hand around the taller woman’s waist. Charlotte could feel her body tingling under the touch. Becky smelled like an odd combination of sweat and citrus. The height difference made it possible for Charlotte to see the top of Becky’s head. She had taken her hood off and Charlotte had to stop herself from touching Becky’s fiery orange-scented locks.

“Put your arm around me neck, I don’t bite – unless of course you’re into that sorta thing”. She winked at the awestruck Charlotte.

The blonde woman slowly snaked her arm around Becky’s shoulder. She took the picture quickly and pulled herself away from the other woman’s body.

“Thank you... This will definitely improve my Insta game”, Charlotte noted and saved the picture.

“Glad to know I’m good for something” Becky joked.

She moved closer to Charlotte again, this time placing her hand tenderly on the other woman’s waist, her fingertips gently trailing along Charlotte’s exposed skin.

“Do you want to hang out for a little while? We could get some food and just talk. You’ll do most of the talking though, because I love the sound of your voice”.

Charlotte gulped down the lump in her throat. Was Becky Lynch actually making a pass at her?

“I have work tomorrow and... I don’t think – you’re... and I’m...”

“It’s just pizza and a conversation – I swear”. Becky removed her hand from the other woman’s hip. “I won’t try anything”. She placed emphasis on the final word and gave an earnest smile.

“So you don’t wanna sleep with me so you can keep the whole ‘fuck a fangirl’ streak alive?” Charlotte questioned. She crossed her arms, all of a sudden becoming incredibly defensive. She had heard those two dark-haired girls talk about Becky and her escapades. She refused to be a notch in someone’s belt. Even if that someone was Becky Lynch.

Becky sighed and shook her head in the negative. “I made up a song about you on stage. I kept looking at you throughout the entire show. You were the only one who actually listened. Not taking videos or live-streaming the shit. All I want is to spend some yimetime with a real fan... a real person”.

Charlotte’s gaze softened. She had turned down many people before and she had given chances to so many garbage people who just ended up either wasting her time or breaking her heart. But this was different... or it felt different at least. Her eyes were fixed on Becky’s mouth as the shorter woman continued.

“When I walked into the meet and greet hall and I didn’t see you... I thought I’d never see the tall, blonde woman in the front row ever again. And that would have been a damn shame ‘cos my God – look at you”.

The Irish woman stepped back and rested her tired body against the wall. She stood with hands in her pockets, waiting on a response from Charlotte.

The blonde studied Becky closely.

The orange haired woman had pulled the hoodie closer to her face and bit down at her lower lip. Her eyes darted up and down, taking in all of Charlotte. She didn’t look like a heartless, sex-mad predator. She looked, right at that moment, like a lovable little nymph with her eyebrows arched closely together and her hands buried deep inside the pockets of her oversized hoodie.

“Two hours, that’s all you get”.

Becky didn’t even try to hide the huge grin on her face. She grabbed Charlotte’s hand and started leading her down the hallway.

\---

Never in a million years did Charlotte ever think she would be sitting on a park bench, splitting a pizza with one of the biggest rappers in the world. And yet she was, but it didn’t feel that way – Becky was just like any regular person. She had to wear a snapback and black hoodie everywhere she went, but she was just like everybody else.

She fell in line at the pizzeria and waited until it was her turn. She made small talk with the cashier and left a tip in the jar for the young woman.

“I used to work at a pizzeria, I know the struggle”, she explained to Charlotte as they left the establishment and started looking for a place to sit and eat.

“When did you realize you were good at rapping?”, Charlotte asked in between bites.  
Becky pulled a pensive face.

“I was seven. My school had this talent show thing”. She laughed at the memory. “I couldn’t really sing or dance. I just remember writing down jokes and puns and stuff... I was gonna be a stand-up comedian. The night finally came and I was so nervous – like ‘throw-up in the sink nervous’. I just remember going up there, on stage , and I started rapping Good Vibrations by Marky-Mark and The Funky Bunch”.

Charlotte couldn’t help but laugh as she pictured what a seven year old Becky would look like on a little stage, rapping.

“Did you win?”

Becky held up three fingers. “Third place, but I was robbed”.

Charlotte gave a pout, but found herself laughing along with the Dublin native.

“I gotta ask, what’s it like being famous?” Charlotte asked as the laughter subdued.  
Becky thought for a moment before she said “Who cares about that? Enough about me, let’s talk about you, Ms Flair”.

She tucked a loose strand of her orange hair behind her and gave sweet smile.

Charlotte rolled her eyes at the obvious charm offensive. “Actually, it’s doctor Flair”. She smiled triumphantly when she saw the shocked look on Becky’s face.

“I knew you were smart, cos you agreed to go on this...meeting with me, but I did NOT think I’d be sharing a salami pizza with a doctor”. She wiped her greasy fingers with one of the red and white checkered napkins.

  
“I actually just finished med school and I work at the Miami Children’s hospital”.

Becky clasped her hands together as if she was about to pray. “Dear Lord, she’s a saint!” she said up to the night sky. Charlotte had to giggle at that.

“Yeah, I love kids so becoming a paediatrician was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever had to make”. Charlotte also grabbed a napkin to wipe her hands. “It’s not easy operating on a little baby girl who’s barely a year old and having her life in your hands, but... When you get to go in the waiting room and tell a mother her child is gonna be okay – It’s the best feeling in the world”.

“Wow, that’s incredible. Really.” Becky held her hand up in a salute. “The country thanks you for your service”.

“My God, I’m not a veteran. Don’t salute me!”. Charlotte chuckled at the Irish woman’s silliness. Something about Becky just made her feel so warm inside. Like she could take down the walls she’d been putting up the last few years.

“Okay well, if the country won’t thank ya, I will. You’re amazing, Charlotte”.

Before Charlotte could say anything in return, Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise started playing. Becky checked her back pocket for her phone.

“Crap, it’s Mandy. I am so sorry, but I gotta take this”. She answered the phone before Charlotte could respond.

“What’s wrong now? Uh-huh. Riiight. Fuck, okay. Yes. Yes I’ll be there in an hour”.  
Becky kicked at the ground and let out an unsettling growl.

“Do you have to go?”, Charlotte asked, trying her best to sound casual.

“Yeah, I’m sorry. They can’t function without me”. She offered an apologetic smile. “Can I take you home?”

“Is that your sneaky way of finding out where I live?” Charlotte asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Of course”, Becky grinned.

\---

The car ride was quiet. Becky opted to play some J.Cole, his older stuff. She smiled when she heard Charlotte hum along.

“You sure love your rap, don’t you doctor?”

“I find it soothing”.

Becky nodded as if she understood. Maybe she did.

“Make a left here”, Charlotte instructed. She leaned back into the off-white leather seats of the P1. Of course Becky Lynch had a freaking obnoxious supercar.

“Don’t leave any marks, it’s a rental”, Becky said with a wide grin on her face.

Charlotte sat up straight immediately. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know”.

Becky gave a hearty chuckle. “I’m messing with ya. Would I do this with a rental?” She swerved the car dangerously along the quiet suburban street. The tyres screeched and this seemed to have woken up every dog in the neighbourhood.

“Oh my God, are you freakin’ CRAZY?!”, Charlotte yelled. 

She ran her fingers through her long blonde hair, trying to calm herself. 

“I’m sorry, really. I didn’t mean to frighten ya”. Becky put a hand on Charlotte’s shoulder.

“Both hands on the steering wheel!” Becky immediately pulled away. From the corner of her eye she could see Charlotte had a little smile on her face.

“I really am sorry, Charlotte”.

“Yeah, yeah. Turn right, Stig”.

Becky smiled at the reference and followed Charlotte’s instructions.

After a few minutes Becky spoke. Softly, as if not to startle the blonde.

“What would you do if I just kept on driving off with you?”

Charlotte looked to the woman on her left with a little concern. “You wouldn’t really do that, would you?”

“Well... It depends on whether or not you’d like it”

“Would I like being kidnapped? No.”

Becky grinned. “I thought you liked me”.

“Your music yes, but I’m not IN LOVE with you”.

Becky ignored the stinging sensation in her chest and decided to be her usual flirtatious self. “You know you will be by the time I drop you off, right?”

Charlotte just gave a throaty chuckle and shook her head.

\---

“And we’ve reached our destination”, Charlotte said and turned to Becky.

“Looks that way”. The orange haired woman turned in her seat, rested her head on her two fists and looked at her travel companion.

“I had an interesting time with you”, Charlotte clenched her jaw after saying this. She was being honest, it was quite an interesting night.

“Did you fall in love?”, Becky asked in a mock sensual tone.

A snort-chuckle was Charlotte’s response. “Not even a little bit”.

“That stung”, Becky lamented as she put her right hand on her chest.

There were a few more seconds of silence, with just Power Trip playing softly in the background.

“I’m leaving tomorrow... I won’t be back in Miami for two months”.

Becky tried to gage Charlotte’s reaction. She sighed internally when she saw the blonde’s face remain indifferent.

“Always on the road. I hope you enjoy it though”, was all Charlotte could say.

She opened the door and got out of the McLaren. Becky got out, too.

“I could walk you to your front door, you know, like a real gentleman”, Becky managed to joke even though she had an eerie feeling in her heart.

“I know the way”, Charlotte said with an eye roll. “...plus, this way you can check out my ass better”.

“You’re incredibly kind”, Becky joked. She watched as Charlotte made her way up the pathway.

“Hey Charlotte, I hate seeing you go but I love watching you leave!”, the Irish woman called out.

“Just drive safe!”, Charlotte said in reply , turning to face Becky.

Becky could feel her heart begin to flutter. How could something as simple as a ‘drive safe’ make her feel all this warmth inside?Maybe because no one’s ever said that to her? Maybe it was because everything this woman did made Becky fall in love with her.

“I will... I promise!”.

 


	2. The Club

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Becky's back in town, but will she run into Charlotte again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song for the chapter - Poetic Justice by Kendrick Lemar ft. Drake

“Come on, girl. You ain’t no fun!” R-Truth, Becky’s DJ and oldest friend,  said as he pulled at the woman’s arm, trying to get her to dance with him.

  
“Not tonight, Truth”. Becky sipped on her cranberry juice.

  
Peyton and Billie were on the dance floor, practically dry-humping each other. Miz was on the phone with his either his wife or his mistress, Becky wasn’t sure which one.She watched as Truth joined the girls. 

The last two months dragged on for so long that Becky almost quit halfway through. She couldn’t wait for her vacation to begin, but now that she had nothing to do the days seemed to drag on as well.

Getting out of bed was a struggle for her. Falling asleep was a struggle for her. Trying to make up the hours of the day with nonsensical pastimes like playing video games or working out was a struggle for her. She had already considered getting back on the booze, but then thought better of it.

“We’re all here ‘cos you wanted to go out and have a good time, Becks. Now you’re being a party-pooper”. Miz spoke as he drank from the whiskey in his glass. Seemed like his phone call had ended abruptly. So his wife then, Becky thought.

“I didn’t think it through apparently”. Becky looked across the club. They were seated in the VIP section, which gave her a good view of the club and all the patrons in it.

“Scanning for a hot piece of ass? Been a while since you’ve gotten into some panties”. Miz winked at the orange haired woman.

“You’re fucking disgusting, man”. Becky shot Miz a vicious look. She took another sip of the red juice and stared out in front of her.

“Damn, you got boring. Is this ‘cos of Naomi?”

Becky rolled her eyes at the mention of YouTube’s newest rap sensation.  
Everyone was buzzing about her and Becky was tired of reading about her, hearing about her. She just wanted to be away from music and all the craziness that came with the job.

“Naomi? She’s an up-and-comer and if I freaked out over EVERY single new female rapper coming up, I’d be in an asylum right now”.

“Alright, but if it’s not her, why have you been such a dud the last few weeks?”

Becky thought for a few seconds. If she was being honest with herself she’d admit to what was really bothering her, but she was almost never honest with herself.

“I’m just tired, that’s all. I’ll feel better in a few days”.

She had to believe that she’ll feel better. Maybe if she believed hard enough she might actually begin to see the good in life again. Maybe she’d have the energy to find Charlotte Flair then.

Charlotte.

Becky had thought about her ever since they met and spent an hour under the stars together. She hoped that she’d run into the woman again, something serendipitous before she had to actively search for her. But she’s been back in Miami for three days and nothing.

\---

Charlotte, Natalya and Sasha entered the club and looked for a table, Charlotte using her height advantage to find an empty spot rather quickly.

“Over there”, she said and pointed to the table in the corner.

“Damn, it pays to have a giraffe bestie”, Natalya joked.

The three women got seated and Natalya, resident club-hopper, offered to buy drinks by the bar. Sasha went with her, leaving Charlotte on her own. She looked around, saw some people dancing and drinking. She couldn’t help but feel really out of place. Her friends had made her go with them and she said yes just to appease them.

“We got you a martini. Classy, just like you”. Sasha placed the drink in front of the her.  
“You’re the sweetest”, Charlotte said and brought the glass to her lips. Sasha and Natalya settled into their chairs and got to drinking their cocktails too.

“So Char, see anyone you like? We know you have very high standards”. Sasha cocked an eyebrow at her tall friend.

Natalya was first to speak though. “Oh no, our girl Charlotte only dates rap stars!”

Sasha almost choked on her drink. She joined Natalya in giggling at the expense of their friend. Charlotte rolled her eyes. She wished she could un-tell Natalya and Sasha about her night with Becky Lynch.

They had been teasing her about it for the last couple of months. They would play Becky’s songs on repeat whenever they were in the car. They would randomly text her pictures of Becky with kissy-face emojies attached to it. Charlotte herself tried hard not to really think about Becky, but she would sometimes catch herself thinking about the woman at the most random of times. The worst thing was that she could no longer listen to Becky’s songs without blushing or remembering that she smelled like oranges and that she had little pieces of green sprinkled in her brown eyes.

“You should really have taken her number – would be nice to have a freakin’ millionaire part of the squad”, Sasha noted.

Charlotte rolled her eyes at them, but before she could say anything in response her attention was set on the VIP section of the club. She could recognize that hair anywhere and any place.

“Earth to Charlotte! What’s up with you?”. Natalya asked and turned around in her seat to see what fascinated her friend so much.

“Oh my God...” was all she could muster when she saw Becky Lynch.

Sasha was last to look, but she spotted the orange hair, too.

“Charlotte, this is such a freaking sign! You should definitely go talk to her!”, Natalya encouraged with giddy excitement.

Charlotte took a huge gulp of her drink and then shook her head in the negative. “She probably doesn’t even remember me. And anyway, she’s... not even my type”.

Sasha gave a sympathetic smile. “Oh, honey – are you BACK in the closet?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. She’s a player and I’m done with people like that. I think I’ve had enough heartbreak for a lifetime”.

Sasha nodded. “Yes girl, no more sleazebags”.

“So you DON’T wanna see her again?” Natalya asked.

“We have nothing to say to each other”, Charlotte noted and took another sip of her martini.

“Well, you better think of something...”

Before Charlotte could ask what her purple-haired friend of five years was talking about, she felt a hand gently settling on her shoulder. She instantly recognized the touch.

“Hey doctor...”

Becky took the only other open chair at the table and set it down next to Charlotte.

Sitting down with her arms resting on the back of the chair, she leaned in closer to the blonde woman. “Hi”, she said again. This time she spoke with less of a cocky tone and more with an earnest, genuine one.

“Becky... hi”. Charlotte tried her best not to look directly at the woman, but when she looked up she caught Becky’s gaze.

“Our stars align again it seems”. Becky gave a hopeful smile. Then she turned her attention to the other two women at the table.

“I have no manners, I apologize”. She held out her hand towards Sasha. “Becky Lynch and you?”.

The light in complexion woman with the deep violet hair gave Becky an indifferent look with one eyebrow raised. She took her hand and said “Sasha Banks. I’m a friend of Charlotte’s”.

Natalya was much friendlier. She gave Becky a hearty handshake. “Natalya Neidhart, or just Nat. I’m also a friend of Charlotte’s”.

Becky smiled at the woman with the cute dimples, but then she turned her focus to Charlotte.

“You’re quiet tonight... Are you alright?”.  
Before Charlotte could answer, Natalya spoke.

“Sasha why don’t we go dance? You love this song”. She got up and tugged at Sasha. The woman kept her focus on Charlotte and Becky.

“You good here, Char?”, she asked and shot Becky a dirty look.

“I’m good, Sash – go ahead”.

The woman nodded and followed Natalya to the dance floor.

Becky bit at her lower lip. “I don’t think she likes me”. It came out more blunt than Charlotte was prepared for.

“She’s just... protective”.

“Are you two...”

Charlotte shook her head. “Sasha just doesn’t take kindly to strangers, that’s all”.  
Becky nodded slowly. She reached out to grab hold of Charlotte’s hand. The blonde decided not to pull away.

“I’ve been thinking about you a whole lot. More than I’d like to admit actually”.

Charlotte rolled her eyes and used her free hand to pick up her martini and took a sip.  
“I bet you have... What with all the travelling and the shows and the fans...”

“I’m serious, Charlotte. I kept thinking back to that night with the pizza and... I mean, it was fun. I had fun”. Becky looked around, as if to see if anyone was looking at them, recording them or anything like that.

“It was fun, sure. But that’s all it was. And it was two months ago anyway”.

Becky removed her hand from Charlotte’s. The blonde winced at the sudden pang in her chest.

“I guess it meant a lot more to me than it did to you”. Becky smiled but the bitterness was so evident in her voice. She tried to get up from the chair, only for Charlotte’s hold on her leather jacket’s sleeve to pull her back down.

“You don’t have to be so dramatic about it”, Charlotte said in a volume just above a whisper. She let go of Becky’s jacket and awkwardly tapped her fingers on the tabletop.

“I just... I’m not sure how to act when I’m around you”. Becky looked into Charlotte’s eyes as she spoke.

“You could just be yourself. If that’s not too big an ask.”  
Becky nodded and offered half a smile.  
“Can I get you a drink?” Charlotte asked and pointed to the bar.

“I’m going to have to politely decline”.

“Oh wow, I thought I was being nice”.

“It’s not that, I just...” Becky stopped speaking and jerked up in her chair.“I love this song! Come on, we have to dance”. Becky pulled at Charlotte.

“I don’t dance!”, Charlotte said over the loud music.

“But this song is so good, come on”.

“It’s a personal rule – I never dance”.

“That was before you met me. Now come on!”

Charlotte reluctantly got up from her seat and followed Becky to the dance floor.

\---

“For someone who doesn’t dance, you sure have some good moves”, Becky kept her hands around Charlotte’s neck and the blonde had her hands on the other woman’s hips.

“You’re a good partner, I guess”.

Becky’s blush might have been visible had it not been for the red and blue neons of the strobe lights. The song switched to Poetic Justice. Becky could feel Charlotte tense up under her touch.

“We can go back and...” Becky started, but Charlotte slowly shaking her head ‘no’ stops her from saying anything else.

“I love this song”, Charlotte whispered down at Becky. The Irish woman pulled Charlotte closer to her and the space between them completely disappeared.

Becky looked up at Charlotte – at her perfect eyes and her perfect mouth.

“You’re staring at me, that makes me extremely self-conscious”.

Becky’s tongue subtly slides over her lower lip. “You have a mole – it’s cute”.

Charlotte shoves at Becky without any real malice.

“You’re not allowed to compliment me anymore – your compliments are borderline insulting”.

Becky gave a pout. “But you DO have a mole and it IS cute. Can I touch it?”

“NO! Weirdo”. Charlotte pulled at a strand of Becky’s hair, twirling it around her finger.

Becky would have retorted, had it not been for Miz practically pulling her away from Charlotte.

“Sorry to ruin the dance party, but we’ve got a bit of a problem Becks”.

Becky pinched the bridge of her nose. Inside she was seething with anger, but she needed to play it cool for Charlotte’s sake. What Charlotte thought of her was important.

“What’s the matter?”, she asked icily.

“Steph, you know – from the label- she just said Apollo Crews pulled out of the RapMania music festival line-up. He’s been arrested. The organizers need the label to replace him and... You’re the perfect act”.

Becky kissed her teeth. She had said no to RapMania three months ago, knowing it would’ve interfered with her break.

“Can’t they get someone else? I’m on a break”.

“Hey, you said it yourself : you take a break and they take your spot. Naomi is doing the kick-off show apparently. If you take Apollo’s place you’ll be part of the main line-up”.

Becky mulled it over. She wanted to one up this Naomi girl, but she had just gotten back from touring. More importantly, she had just gotten back in touch with Charlotte.

Strangely enough, Charlotte was the first to speak.

“Just do it. Show Naomi she’s just another wannabe and you’re the real fuckin’ deal”.  
Becky looked at Charlotte with a raised eyebrow and a bemused smile on her face.

“I’ll give you my number if you do it”, Charlotte offered.

Becky looked at Miz and said “Tell those sons of bitches Straight Fire will be there”.

“Fuck yes!”. Miz grabbed Becky by the face and planted a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll get us on the earliest flight to San Diego”, he said as he took out his phone and disappeared into the crowd of people.

Becky took out her phone and handed it to Charlotte. The blonde rolled her eyes, but entered her number anyway.

“I’ll probably regret this”.

“Probably”.

\---

Charlotte had to prematurely say goodbye to Becky again. The Irish woman and her entourage left shortly after Miz made the call that Becky Lynch would be performing at RapMania.

Becky went in for a hug which Charlotte duly accepted. It was quick – too quick for Charlotte to take in Becky’s scent and too quick for Becky to let her hands linger on Charlotte’s back.

\---

Charlotte crawled into bed, her skin still cool from the shower she took upon returning from the club. She readjusted the pillows a few times before actually settling into bed.

She was just about to close her eyes and attempt to sleep when her phone vibrated on the nightstand. She reached over and smiled when she read the text.

_‘Are you sleeping? If you are then sweet dreams. If you’re still awake – go to bed! Save my number, okay? xx Becky’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said I'll update every week, but I'm a little ahead of schedule. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it - drop some kudos if you did!


	3. Friends & Benefits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Becky and Charlotte grow closer, but Charlotte has to deal with work issues.
> 
> Deviating from the rap a bit, this chapter's song is Hard To Love by MIAMIGO.

Charlotte walked into the hospital ward and saw the Nakamuras seated by their daughter’s bedside.

Their three year old had been on dialysis for the last four months while waiting for a suitable donor. She needed a kidney transplant as soon as possible, especially because her parents could not afford her dialysis treatment anymore.

Charlotte was her doctor at first, but a nephrologist had taken over once it was established that the child had such severe kidney problems. Still, she felt it was only right for her to visit little Kimiko as often as she could.

“Good day, Mrs Nakamura, Mr Nakamura”. Charlotte watched over the sleeping little girl with the jet black hair.

“Doctor, it is good to see you again”, Mr Nakamura spoke. His wife just nodded, Charlotte knew she could not speak English that well and just gave a small smile to the woman.

“How is she doing?”

“Very, very bad”, Nakamura looked down and shook his head.

Charlotte felt so bad for the man and his wife. They were good people, kind people, who didn’t deserve to see their daughter suffer like this.

“I spoke with Dr Zayn. He says a kidney transplant could save her life”, she said with a hopeful smile.

“But we have had no luck finding a donor. Our families are still in Japan and neither of us match. Now dialysis is too expensive. Asuka and I, we are not rich people. We cannot afford it, even if we sell all our things”.

Charlotte nodded and tried her best to keep her own tears at bay as she watched Mrs Nakamura breakdown and cry.

\---

Becky :‘ _So you’ve never had blue cheese? That’s absurd_ ’

Charlotte smiled at her screen and typed back.

_‘It smells vile – I am NOT putting in my mouth’_

Becky: _‘That’s what she said’_

The blonde just shook her head and typed ‘LOL’ even though she wasn’t in the mood to laugh at all. Her meeting with the Nakamuras had brought back so many bad memories about... about things she didn’t want to think about.

Becky: ‘ _Are you really laughing or are you just messing with me?’_

Charlotte: _‘I never laugh at your jokes- they’re terrible. Besides, I’m not really feeling super today’._

Becky: ‘ _Do you wanna talk about it?’_

Charlotte hesitated before she typed ‘It’s work stuff, don’t worry about it’.

She threw her phone on the bed next to her and buried her face in the pillows.  
Instead of a text notification, the room filled with OutKast’s Hey Ya as Charlotte’s phone rang. She looked at the screen before accepting the call.

“Becky...uhm, hi”.

“I hope you don’t mind me calling. I just wanted to make sure you were alright”. Somehow her accent was even more pronounced over the phone.

Charlotte sat up straight with crossed legs. “I’m having one of those days, you know?”

“Ha! I know the kind. I’m here if you wanna talk about it or, I don’t know, scream about it”.

“What about if I cry about it?” Charlotte sighed. She didn’t want Becky to think she was some weak and frail person who needed constant counselling and sympathy. But right now she couldn’t hide her feelings – the sadness had taken over.

Becky spoke softly, almost as if she was right there, whispering into Charlotte’s ear.  
“Whatever you need to do, I’ll be here”.

Charlotte sniffled and wiped a tear from her cheek. “I got really... attached to one of my patients. Now she’s... she needs a kidney transplant because her parents can’t afford to keep on her the treatment”. She tried to hide her sobs, but failed miserably.

Becky thought for a moment. “I’ll pay for treatment”.

Charlotte’s breath hitched. “Becky, no. I didn’t tell you this because I wanted you to...”

“Why not? I have the money and it’s for a good cause”.

Charlotte sniffled again, trying to compose herself. “This isn’t your problem, Becky”.

“But it’s upsetting you, so in a way it is my problem. Anything that causes you worry or pain or stress...”

“We’re not together – My problems aren’t yours and you DON’T have to fix them”.

Becky was silent for what felt like minutes. “I understand. I’m sorry”.

“It’s fine, you were just trying to help”. Charlotte managed a chuckle. “I should apologize for being such an emotional mess”.

“You are a mess – a beautiful one”. Charlotte could almost hear the smile in Becky’s voice.

“You have got to work on those compliments” Charlotte said, laying on her back. 

“Are you okay now?”, Becky asked, all of a sudden sounding very serious.

“I... I think so. Thank you for listening”.

“Always”.

Charlotte felt a tingling sensation in her stomach and she could feel her ears glowing with heat. She had been texting with Becky for the last week, but this was different. Talking to Becky over the phone felt so much more... intimate. It felt she had Becky’s undivided attention, like they were the only two people in the world. 

“You still there, Charlotte?”

“Uhm, yeah. I was just thinking”.

“I have a few errands to run, but I’ll definitely text you later. Feel better, okay?”.

Charlotte fought the unsettling feeling that made its way up to her stomach. Was she sad because Becky had to hang up?

“Okay... goodbye”.

The other line cut out and Charlotte sighed into the phone.

\---

“Charlotte you know if it were up to me, I’d keep her on the treatment, but the Nakamuras are really behind on medical bills and they can’t afford it”.

“I get that Sami, but there must be something we could do. If she can’t stay on dialysis then she needs a kidney transplant as soon as possible”. 

Sami Zayn knew Charlotte was tense because she grabbed at his shoulder as she spoke. Charlotte never touched anybody. 

“Getting a donor won’t be easy. Plus there’s already a waiting list”. Sami scratched at his ginger beard. This whole ordeal was upsetting to him, too. But he needed Charlotte to understand that there wasn’t much they could do about it.

“Can’t we figure something out? Raise the money somehow? Come on Sami, a few more months on the treatment is all she needs right now. It’ll give us time to widen the net – try and find more willing donors”.

Charlotte had a look of despair on her face. She had tested as a no-match too.

“A fundraiser will take a lot of work and time and she doesn’t really have that on her side”.

Charlotte ran her hand through her long blonde hair and huffed in frustration.

“I might... have an idea”, she said after a few minutes.

\--

Becky sat poolside and watched as Peyton, Billie, Mandy and a few other girls messed around in the water. She had no intention of joining them, she just enjoyed the sun and the music blasting from the booth Truth had set up.

It was her DJ who had thrown the impromptu party together when he arrived at Becky’s beachfront mansion with three ‘dancers’ and a case of Ciroc. Peyton and Billie were all too excited about having a party and started setting everything up.

“Come on, Becks – show off that hot bod of yours!”, Peyton called out.

“Yeah! Zelina over here has a huge crush on you. She’d love to see you get WET!”, Billie added. The girls all giggled and splashed each other with water. Becky took a sip of mango juice and laid stretched out on the chair.

She took off her sunglasses when she saw a petite Latina approaching her. The girl sat on the pool chair next to hers. 

“Hey”, she said and gave a seductive smile.

“Hi there”. Becky allowed her eyes to travel up and down the woman’s body. She was gorgeous - no doubt, but Becky just wasn’t feeling it.

“Mandy said I should get more ice, but I don’t know where the kitchen is and I...”

“Don’t worry, I’ll go get some”, Becky said and got up from the chair.

“I’ll go with you”, the girl added. Becky gave a nod and made her way to the patio door.

\---

“I take it your name is Zelina”, Becky said as she filled the ice bucket.

“It is, yes”. She bit down at her lip, sizing Becky up.

“And I’m also guessing Mandy didn’t really send you to get ice”.

The petite Zelina nodded in the affirmative. “Don’t be mad, I just wanted to... spend a little time alone with you”.

Becky’s tongue slid over her lower lip. Zelina was beautiful, sexy, everything she’d usually go for.

But she wasn’t what Becky wanted – she wasn’t Charlotte – and Becky had been with no other woman since she met Charlotte that night after her concert.

“Look, you’re gorgeous... But I’m kinda spoken for. And I really like her, I can’t hurt her like that”.

Zelina moved closer and snaked her arms around Becky’s neck. “I think it’s sexy that you’re so loyal”. She moved her mouth closer to Becky’s and continued. “What she doesn’t know can’t hurt her. And I’m no snitch”.

Zelina crashed her lips into Becky’s and kissed the orange haired woman with all the passion she could conjure up. Becky moaned against her lips, trying to gently push the girl away. But Zelina moved her mouth down to Becky’s neck and the Irish woman was weak.

She lifted Zelina by the waist and set her down on the countertop. She attacked the woman’s neck, kissing and biting down all the way to her breasts that were barely covered by her yellow bikini top.

Her phone ringing in the pocket of her denim shorts stopped her from placing kisses in between the other woman’s breasts. She took out the phone and checked the name of the caller.

Charlotte.

Becky felt incredibly guilty, so guilty that she didn’t even want to answer. But she couldn’t leave Charlotte hanging – she cared too much.

“Hi, what’s the matter?”, she spoke first.

“Nothing’s wrong”, Charlotte gave a small chuckle. “I just... God I don’t even know how to do this...”

Becky had to push Zelina away from her as the Latina tried to kiss her again.

“What’s going on? Are you sure you’re okay?”

Becky successfully got Zelina off her and walked out of the kitchen and into the spacious living room.

“I’m fine, Becky – really. I’m just incredibly nervous about calling you. I hope I didn’t interrupt anything”.

Becky thought back to a few seconds ago when she was nose deep in some girl’s breasts she hardly knew.

“No, you weren’t. Are you gonna tell me what’s going on or do I have to guess?”

She could hear Charlotte taking a deep breath.

“Remember the little girl who’s parents couldn’t afford the treatment anymore”

“Oh no, did she...”

“No – no, she’s still here. It’s just... Well... I’m trying to raise money for her and I thought maybe you could... do a show and use to proceeds to... Forget it, I’m so sorry I bothered you with this”.

Becky smiled as she sat down on the white sofa. “Charlotte, take a few breaths, stop apologizing and tell me what I need to do for this benefit show”.

“Wait... You’ll do it?”.

Becky loved hearing the excitement in the other woman’s voice. It still felt like the Charlotte she was getting to know, but a more open version of her.

“Of course I’ll do it. I’d be honoured to”.

\---

Charlotte could never hide her pleased grin whenever she watched Becky perform. The night of the benefit concert was no different. The blonde couldn’t keep her eyes off the lively rapper up on stage.

Becky had asked a friend if she could use his club to do a show and he happily agreed when he heard that it was for a little girl’s dialysis. She then took to social media and got her fans to donate money and buy tickets to this special performance. Charlotte or the hospital didn’t have to lift a finger.

“I know you say she’s a player, but damn, she’s so adorable”, Natalya whispered into Charlotte’s ear as they watch from backstage.

“She’s... something else”.

“So do you like her or not?”, Natalya pressed Charlotte more, hoping to get some answers from her best friend.

Charlotte let out an annoyed sigh. “I do like her, she’s nice”.

“Nice? NICE? She did all of this for you and all you got is ‘nice’?”

Charlotte turned to Natalya, shooting her an icy look.

“She did this for Kimiko, not me. And I’m not ready for a new relationship – not yet”.

  
Becky had finished her last song and made her way backstage. She was glistening from the thin layer of sweat on her skin. Her white tank top clinging tightly to her damp body and her fiery hair flailing all over the place.

“Did you guys enjoy the show?”, she asked breathlessly.

“Oh yeah – and I don’t even like rap music”, Natalya noted.

Charlotte said nothing as she was too busy ogling Becky’s toned upper body and strong arms.

Natalya noticed Charlotte’s gazes and cleared her throat. “What did you think, Char?”

“Uh... It w-was good. Really good”.

Becky seemed oblivious to Charlotte’s frazzled response and offered a shy smile.“I need to go freshen up. You ladies will stick around for drinks, yeah?”

Natalya rolled her eyes at Charlotte’s speechlessness. “I have work in the morning, but Charlotte’s available”.

Charlotte nodded, still not able to find any words.

Becky gave a excited smile and made her way to the makeshift dressing room that was actually the owner’s office.

“What was THAT?!” Natalya asked and nudged Charlotte with her shoulder.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about...”

“You were UNDRESSING her with your eyes. God you’ve got no game”.

Charlotte cocked an eyebrow. “I wasn’t... doing anything”.

“Exactly!”

\---

Becky had changed from her damp tank top and leather shorts and Chucks to her usual incognito black hoodie, black skinny jeans and black snapback. The Chuck Taylor’s were replaced by black Adidas low-tops.

She found Charlotte and the other doctor sitting by the bar, deep in conversation. At first she felt like she’d be intruding, but Charlotte spotted her and motioned for her to join them. 

“I was just telling Sami about that banging McLaren of yours. He loves cars”. Charlotte said as Becky approached them. She took a sip of her cocktail and smiled sweetly.

“I love cars and yet I drive a freakin’ Volvo. But hey, safety first!” the ginger doctor said. 

Becky laughed along with the two doctors and took out her car keys from her back pocket. She held them out for Sami to take.

“It’s not the P1 tonight, it’s the Aventador”, she said with a wink. “If you feel like taking it for a test drive... she’s all yours”.

Sami gaped at Becky. “Are... are you serious? I get to drive a Lamborghini Aventador?”

Becky nodded and dangled the keys. “Just not too far that you run into coppers or anything. So are ya interested?”

Sami nearly squealed.“Hell yeah! Can I take my buddy Kevin with me? He’s over there with some of the other staff”

“Sure”, Becky said and patted the doctor on the shoulder.

Sami grabbed the keys and practically jogged towards his friend.

“That was really sweet of you. I mean, he’ll most likely never get a chance to drive a car like that again”.

“Everybody deserves a treat”.

Charlotte stared at Becky’s lips as she spoke. The Irish woman had put lip gloss on and now the only thing Charlotte could think about was what it would feel like to kiss Becky.

“And besides, it’s what I do – I make people happy”. Becky sat down on the chair that Sami had occupied. She watched as Charlotte took another sip of her drink.

“You wanna order something?”, Charlotte asked absent-mindedly as she called the barman over.

“I’m good, but you should enjoy yourself”.  
Charlotte chuckled. “I already had two drinks – that’s my limit”.

“Wow, you’re a regular party ANIMAL”, Becky joked.

“Hey! We can’t all be rappers who party non-stop”.

Becky thought for a while and then said: “I’m not a big drinker actually. It’s all just for show”. She stared up into Charlotte’s emerald eyes and wondered what it was about the woman that made her feel so at home.

“So you fake it, huh? How do I know you’re being honest with me?”, Charlotte leaned closer and narrowed her eyes.

“Well when it comes to you... I can’t help but be the real me”.

Charlotte gave a cocky grin and nodded in approval of Becky’s answer.

Becky bit at the corner of her lower lip. She knew that it was the opportune time to ask Charlotte out. She knew there was a good chance that the gorgeous blonde would say yes, but she still hesitated.

What if Charlotte did only want to be friends? Becky hadn’t considered the fact that Charlotte might not even be gay. She assumed she was, but they never talked about it. Everyone knew Becky’s sexuality – she had been rapping about it for the last three years.

“Thank you. I know I’ve said it a bunch of times already, but thank you. For all of this”. Charlotte gently brushed Becky’s cheek with the back of her hand.

The touch felt like electricity through the shorter woman’s body. Charlotte’s hand on her cheek made her feel better than any pill ever could. She grabbed the blonde woman’s hand in hers and placed a kiss on her knuckles.

“Go out with me... to dinner or whatever you want”. Becky said in a whisper.

“I... Becky...” she jerked her hand away.

“Don’t think about it too much, just say yes. I promise it’ll be good – I’ll be good”, Becky thumbed Charlotte’s cheek.

“I can’t... I just can’t do this right now”. She retreated; trying to get away from Becky’s touches because she knew she’d grew weaker and weaker every time the woman reached out for her.

“Why not? I care about you and... It’s just one date”. Becky tried hard not to sound too desperate, too needy. But she wanted this, she wanted Charlotte to give her a chance.

“Look... I’ve been... I’ve been hurt a lot in the past and I don’t wanna put myself out there just to end up with a broken heart again”.

Becky grew slightly frustrated. Of course she understood that Charlotte was being cautious with her heart, but she couldn’t understand why Charlotte would think that she would break it in any way.

“I won’t hurt you”.

“Can you promise that?”, Charlotte asked as she arched her eyebrows. 

Becky gave a defeated sigh. She wished she could make that promise to Charlotte.

“It really isn’t about you Becky. It’s me. And I know how cliché that sounds, but... It’s the way I am now”.

“Do you know when you’ll ever be ready to try again?”

Charlotte thought for a while. She couldn’t give a time and date – she may never fully trust another person again.

“Once I figure it out you’ll be the first to know”.

Becky wiped a hand across her forehead and gave half a smile. She watched Charlotte for a few moments before she spoke. “I’ll hold on to that then”.

Charlotte attempted to smile back, but she couldn’t hold it for very long. She could see the hurt in Becky’s eyes.

“Don’t be mad at me, please?”

“Of course I’m not mad at you, Charlotte. I just wish you’d…”

Sami rushed up to the two women. His friend was with him. 

“That. Was. Amazing. Seriously, that car is incredible”. Sami handed Becky the keys and held his hand out for a high five. The Irish woman smiled and hit his hand.

“How many cars do you actually have?”, Kevin, a larger fella, asked.

“Umm, three. The Lambo, the P1 and an Audi for when I’m running errands and I got to keep it lowkey”, she said nonchalantly and grinned at the boys’ reaction.

“Okay, you’re officially the coolest person I’ve ever met”, Kevin noted.

“Thank you. Hey I’d love to sit and chat with you lads all night, but I’m so bloody tired. It was really good to meet ya and I hope the operation goes well”.

Sami spoke first. “I hope so, too. Thank you for everything you did. You’re a great person”.

“The best person”, Kevin added.

Becky blushed at the compliments. “It was nothing.I really need to go now”. She got up from the chair and faced Charlotte. The blonde looked down, trying to avoid her gaze.

“Hey Kev, let’s go brag to the guys about the joyride”, Sami said as he sensed Becky wanted a moment alone with his colleague.

Charlotte and Becky watched as the guys made their way to one of the tables where some of the other doctors and nurses were seated.

“I’ll... I’ll text you?”, Becky suggested. She wasn’t sure if Charlotte WANTED her to text or call.

“Yeah... I’ll reply”. A faint smile ghosted her lips.

“Do you need a ride?”

“Uh... Sami is the designated driver so... I’m good”.

Becky longed to hug Charlotte, to feel her warmth again, but she resisted the strong urge. She didn’t want to make the woman uncomfortable. “Have a good night”.

“Bye Becky”.

There was some strange sense of finality about the words and Charlotte wished she could take them back. But it was too late. Becky was headed for the door. She didn’t look back once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that this is only up now! The plan was to get chapters out every Wednesday! 
> 
> Life got in the way though.. Anyways - hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.


	4. The Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Charlotte declined a date with Becky, the two go their separate ways...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter four! Eek... The angst levels will drop a little bit - but not for long. 
> 
> Chapter four song? Khalid - Location.

Charlotte tried to lose herself in her work.

This was easy because she actually did have a lot of work to do. Her regular shifts at the hospital and the undergrad classes she was teaching kept her fairly busy. She tried to convince herself that she was working this hard to make a statement, a name for herself, but deep down she knew this was all just an attempt to forget about Becky Lynch.

It had been a month since she’d seen Becky at the benefit show. They texted for a week after that and Charlotte had called Becky three weeks ago to tell her that Kimiko Nakamura’s was receiving treatment again and that she wasn’t too far down the waiting list for a transplant. Becky was glad to receive the good news, but didn’t really seem too excited to speak to Charlotte. After that call they stopped texting all together. Charlotte stopping because clearly Becky was done with her and Becky stopping because, Charlotte assumed, she had moved on.

All the work she had done just made the nights that she wasn’t doing anything even harder. Tonight had been one of those nights. Charlotte couldn’t take the silence in her house anymore. She switched on the television and Naomi on Late Night with Heath Slater. Charlotte didn’t really care for Naomi’s music and overly boisterous persona – she’d much rather watch Becky, with her quirky mannerisms and random puns and jokes. Plus, the accent was so endearing. 

“Shit... I freaking miss her”.

Charlotte sighed and picked up her phone. She had contemplated calling Becky so many times before. Maybe she could even just send a text, but she always gave in to her own cowardice. What if she calls and Becky hits cancel? Or they have nothing to say to each other? There were too many variables and Charlotte just couldn’t deal with the consequences – whatever they could be.

So she just switched off the television and went to bed. All this constant internal conflict caused by Becky Lynch was exhausting, Charlotte thought as she settled into bed.

\---

Becky poured two cups of coffee, one for her and one for Mandy. The blonde took a sip of the beverage and spoke. “You’ve been kind of distant lately... I just came to check up on you, see how you’re doing”.

“You mean you came to check if I’m hanging from the rafters or not?” Becky looked at the blonde with distaste and took a sip of coffee herself.

“I... I care about you, Becks. We all do. You’ve come here, hidden yourself from the world and you’re not taking our calls or...”, Mandy sighed. She did care about Becky, the Irish woman was more than just her boss – they were friends. They were very close in fact, before Becky packed a backpack full of things and left her mansion to stay in a tiny apartment in downtown.

“I just need some space. A little alone time always does wonders for me – you know that”. Becky intently looked at her fingernails. “How are things over there anyway?”

“Well, Peyton and Billie are out partying every night so they aren’t exactly the perfect house sitters. And when they ARE there, they just have sex in your hot tub”.

Becky rolled her eyes. She knew those two would do a terrible job of looking after her house.

“On the plus side, it’s never dirty and the electricity bill is very low”. Mandy looked around the living room slash kitchen area. The apartment was a mess – papers and books scattered all over the place. There were pizza boxes and empty energy drink cans on the floor.

“I could get a maid service to come and clean the place”, she suggested. Becky scoffed at the idea.

“The bloody place is fine. It’s exactly the way I want it to be”. She walked over to the tiny bar fridge and took out a half eaten donut.

“I need this sort of chaos and mess around when I’m working on new music”. She offered Mandy one half of the stale pastry, but the shorter woman declined.

“I’m glad you’re working on new music. Studio’s been up in Miz’s ass about that”.

“He’s probably lovin’ that”, Becky grinned. “He’s always been into ass play”.

Mandy almost spit out her coffee as she laughed at the remark. “There’s a glimpse of the old Becky... I missed her”.

“Yeah... Me too”. 

Mandy and Becky chatted for a while, but the blonde had promised her parents she would visit and so she had a flight booked to New York. Becky bid her a farewell and went back to sitting on the couch, working on lyrics. She checked the time on her phone. 12:23. She thought about texting Charlotte, but then decided that she would be a nuisance to the woman. She wanted to talk to her so badly, but every time she had the phone in her hand she chickened out.

They had texted each other after that night at the club, but it wasn’t the same as before. It was so clear that they wanted different things and even though Becky cared about her, she didn’t want to bother Charlotte anymore. Maybe the blonde would come around when she was ready. Maybe giving her space sped up the process.

Becky sighed and read through her latest offering again.

 

***You still show up when I least expect it**

 

**Like right in my dreams as a ghost, as a blur, as a fragment**

 

**And I blame myself cos that’s how I deal with things**

 

**I’m not good at feeling things.**

 

**I’ll talk a lot of shit but you know I don’t mean those things**

 

**I don’t like revealing things**

 

**I feel like I’m seeing things**

 

**Yeah baby, I feel like I’m seeing things ***

 

Her phone ringing stopped her right in the middle of her flow. She checked the name and her heart nearly fluttered at the sight of the letters appearing on her screen.

“Charlotte”. It came out as more of a question than anything else.

“Hi”. Her voice was filled with confidence. “I just called to say...”

“You love me?”

A little chuckle came from the other side and Becky felt more confident herself. As soon as she made someone laugh she was at ease.

“I’m glad you hear you’ve kept that sense of humour. How’ve you been?”

Becky sighed. “I don’t know...”

“You don’t know or you don’t wanna talk about it?”

“I missed you”. It slipped out before Becky could stop herself. She waited with bated breath for Charlotte’s response.

“Then why didn’t you call or text me?” Charlotte managed to sound annoyed and hurt at once.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know if you wanted me to”.

Charlotte took a deep breath and spoke. “I really wanted you to. I missed you, too. A lot, actually”.

Becky couldn’t contain herself or wipe the smile from her face. She curled up onto the couch and covered herself with the blanket.

“I missed you, too”.

“You already said that”. Charlotte observed, the smile audible in her voice.

“I missed you twice, that’s why”.

“We could... hang out? If you’re in the city and you don’t have any other plans... I mean, you’re busy and I get that”.

“I have nothing going on actually... Just working on some new music” Becky replied.

Charlotte waited for a while before she spoke. “I’d love to hear it”.

Becky knew she had to play it smart. 

“You could come over and I could play you some of the songs”. It sounded like more of a question than anything else.

“Come over ? To your place?”

“O-only if you want to”.

Charlotte answered almost instantly. “Yeah... Yeah, sure”.

“I’ll text you the address?”

“Good”.

Charlotte hung up before Becky could say anything else. The Irishwoman, still stunned by the call and the conversation, stared at the cell phone in her hand for a good few seconds. When the initial shock wore off, the anxieties set in and all Becky could think about was impressing Charlotte. Impressing her with the new music and with Becky’s subtle charm. Maybe she could cook something? Or bake? Becky almost laughed at how nervous she felt. Maybe cooking or baking would have to wait for another day. The most important thing was to clean her pigsty of an apartment.

\---

Charlotte didn’t know what to expect as she watched her Uber driver navigate his way to the address that Becky had sent. She knew the Irish rapper was rich – two successful albums and constant tours – but the neighbourhood she was in didn’t really scream ‘affluence’. Instead, there were shady characters hanging out on the streets, abandoned cars that had been stripped of wheels and various other parts and buildings that were clearly not being maintained at all.

The driver drove a little further down and stopped when the voice navigation told him to. There weren’t any other people around so Charlotte paid the driver, got out of the car and hurried up the stairs that lead to the door of the building. 

The lobby was as glum as the outside. Dark carpeting, plastic potted plants that aren’t exactly green anymore and a weird turmeric smell just hanging around.

By the counter stood a tall figure, clad in a dress shirt and a deep purple waistcoat.

“Can I help you?”, the man asked in a deep, intimidating voice.

“Uh... I’m here to see Becky Lynch”, Charlotte gave a nervous smile.

“She expecting you?”

“Yeah, she is”.

The tall man with the shaven head glanced over at the narrow flight of stairs and then back at Charlotte . “She’s in room 16, third floor”.

\---

Charlotte knocked on the dark green door with the golden ‘13’ on it. She was nervous, yes, but also excited. She had finally gotten out of her own head and was now just seconds away of seeing Becky again. The thought alone made her smile. The door slowly opened and Becky stood right in front of her. Her hair didn’t seem as orange and she was wearing white for a change.

“Hey there... Come on in”. She opened the door a little wider. Charlotte stepped into the cosy little apartment. Her eyes scanned the place. A dark green three-seater coach, a coffee table stacked with notebooks and an array of pens and markers. There was a white board with letters and lyrics scribbled all over it. A laptop was plugged into a wall socket, a stereo stood on a small table in the corner and the navy blue curtains were drawn. It looked like the layer of a serial killer. Or a brooding writer. Either way, she found the smell of lavender and the lack of direct sunlight to be an oddly comforting combination.

“I’m glad you found the place – I know it’s a little... out of the way”. Becky sat down on the sofa and patted on the seat next to her. Charlotte took this as in invitation and joined the other woman. She put her clutch bag on the coffee table and turned to face Becky.

“I’m also really glad you came”. Becky was beaming, unable to hide her excitement.

“It was an invitation one simply could not turn down”. Charlotte despised the Southern drawl that made had popped up, but it didn’t seem like Becky noticed.

“Do you want a drink? I have uh... water, coffee and tea... oh and Redbull”. Becky nervously scratched the back of her neck. She was clad in a tight, white tank top and ripped boyfriend jeans. This was the first time Charlotte had seen her without make-up and her hair in a ponytail. She looked younger.

“Tea sounds lovely” Charlotte said with a smile. She always thought Becky looked like a tea person.

Becky nodded and made her way to the kitchen area that was only a few feet away.

“So this is where you live?”, Charlotte craned her neck to see what Becky was doing in the kitchen. She still couldn’t believe that the woman lived in an apartment like this. Charlotte was working at a public hospital and she could afford a bigger place in a better neighbourhood.

“Yep... I’ve been renting this place for a few years now. I come here from time to time. It actually feels more like my home than my other house”. Becky put the kettle on. “I guess that’s why I invited you here. ‘Cos it’s my real home, away from all that ostentatious crap, you know?”.

Charlotte smiled and felt herself relax. 

“Water’s boiling, tea should be out in a sec, yeah?”

“Hmm... What kind do you have?”

Becky checked the boxes in her cupboard.

“Let’s see... Earl Grey, chamomile, hibiscus, ginger, rooibos, chai, Irish breakfast...”

Charlotte had to laugh. “Alright, I get it – you’re a tea connoisseur. I’ll take chai”.

The tea was made and Becky set the pot and two cups down on the coffee table. She also had a saucer with sugar cubes and a plate with oatmeal and raisin cookies on the table.

“This is such a treat, thank you”, Charlotte said, genuinely content and appreciative. She could sense that Becky was a little nervous still, so she poured tea for the both of them.

“So have you heard anything about Kimiko?”, Becky asked as she took the cup of tea from the table.

“Yeah, the treatment’s been going well and hopefully she gets a donor soon”.

Becky nodded. They enjoyed the silence for a while, but Becky was intent on breaking it.

“We should visit her. I ordered this gigantic teddy bear online and I thought I’d give it to her”.

“I’ll check with her parents, but that’s a great idea. I bet she’ll love it”. Charlotte watched as Becky blushed into her teacup. She loved seeing this side of the woman. She was so... Charlotte struggled to find the words to sum up Becky.

“Seems like she means a lot to you...”

Charlotte bit at her lower lip and had a faraway look in her eyes that suggested to Becky she had asked the wrong question.

“If you don’t wanna talk about it...”

Charlotte shook her head and offered a weak smile.“No, no it’s not that I don’t wanna talk about it... I can’t... Not right now, anyway”.

Becky reached out and took Charlotte’s hand. She was glad the blonde didn’t pull away. In turn, Charlotte squeezed Becky’s hand and used her thumb to draw circles on Becky’s knuckles.

“Whenever you’re ready to talk about it, I’ll be here”. Becky’s voice was soft.

Charlotte managed a sad chuckle. “God, I always keep you waiting...”

“Shh, you’re worth waiting for, love”.

Charlotte’s breath hitched at the term of endearment and she was so shocked by it that she stopped drawing the circles on the other woman’s hand.

“Tea’s getting cold”, Charlotte said and took a sip from her cup. 

Becky let go of Charlotte’s hand and reached to grab one of the notebooks from the table.

“I promised you new music, didn’t I?” 

“Hmm, yes. That is the reason I came in the first place”.

Becky clutched at her chest. “Ouch, I thought you came over for me. Either way, you still get an unprecedented exclusive, EXCLUSIVE, sneak-peak of my new song”.

Charlotte put the cup down and placed her hands firmly on her thighs. “Okay, I’m ready”.

Becky, still mesmerised by Charlotte’s thighs in her tight skinny jeans, shook her head as if to clear all the dirty thoughts she was beginning to have and opened the notebook.

“This is just the hook first. Be warned... It’s a little graphic”.

“Oeh, Rated Teen and Up, huh?”, Charlotte joked.

Becky cleared her throat before she began rapping. 

 

“I can already see you and me, somewhere off the coast of Waikiki.

I think she’s liking me, but she keeps fighting me,

Keeps hypin’ me, saying I’m something else

Well, can’t you tell 

I’m hot as hell

I’m hot as hell”

Charlotte nodded to the catchy chorus and took a cookie from the plate. “That was good, really good”.

“And now for the verse, which is still a work in progress”.

Becky pages through the notebook and begins again.

 

“I say stupid shit, like I don’t even think

I want sex on the beach, thing is I don’t even drink

All this money go to my head like a CAT scan

And I’mma start following the signal like I’m Batman.

You know I’m back, man.

And your girls ain’t safe, I got their numbers and names

I don’t know where she went but I know when she came.

You’re new to the fame

So you can’t be blamed

I ain’t saying that you basic,

But my money speak in Gaelic

I’ll take all your monthly pay checks

And I’ll double it and raise it.

Becky with the orange hair,

Hidden Hills and Bel-Air

When I’m in the Angel City

I have seven bitches there.

She icy but I make her melt

Cos Im hot, hot like hell”.

 

Charlotte smiled at the lyrics and offered a small round of applause.

“Thank you, thank you – I’m here all week”. Becky closed the notebook and placed it back on the table with the others. She drank some tea and checked the time on her phone. 18:23.

“That was so good, Becky. Really. You just get better and better”.

Becky gave a nervous chuckle. “Well, you would say that – you’re my biggest fan”.

Charlotte raised an eyebrow. “I am not your BIGGEST fan”.

“Sure, Charlie”. Becky winked at the blonde woman who had been caught off guard by the nickname.

“Charlie? Where’d that come from?”

“I don’t know... Charlotte’s a little too long, I guess. Charlie is cute. Charlie’s the type of girl who says yes to going on a date with an orange haired rapper from Dublin”.

Charlotte gave an exaggerated pout. “And Charlotte’s not cute?”

“She used to be... before she kept friendzoning me”.

Charlotte looked at Becky, really looked at her. She was beautiful, absolutely gorgeous and she seemed to really care about Charlotte. Why was it so hard for her to trust the woman? She knew her past relationships had something to do with it and she wished for all those memories to fade away so that she was able to trust again.

“I will go on a date with you, Becky. I’d love to, actually”.

Charlotte could tell the shorter woman wasn’t expecting that.

“Are you serious?”

Charlotte just gave a small smile as response.

“So that’s a yes?”. Becky’s eyes widened and she bit at her lower lip. Somehow she would only believe Charlotte if the blonde gave verbal confirmation.

“Yes Becky. I’m serious. I want to go out with you – if you want to, of course”.

“Y-yeah... I do. I mean I’d love that”. Becky suddenly didn’t know what to do with her hands. She gave a nervous chuckle and took a sip of tea. Charlotte watched her and couldn’t help but smile at Becky’s nervous energy.

“So do you know where you’re taking me?”

Becky thought for a bit. She could take Charlotte to any of the fancy restaurants in the city. She could rent a yacht , hire a private chef, a string quartet, buy twelve dozen long stemmed roses... But she knew that wasn’t what Charlotte wanted. To be fair, it wasn’t what she wanted either.

“It’s a surprise, but you’re gonna like it”.

\---

Becky didn’t like saying goodbye to Charlotte, but she knew she would have to. The blonde still had a longish cab ride back to her place and it was 18:48 already. They shared a quick hug and Becky could have sworn she felt Charlotte’s lips pressed against her temple. 

“So you’ll text me?”

Becky’s tongue glided over her lower lip. “Naturally... Take care of yourself, yeah?”

Charlotte smiled and nodded. She didn’t really want to leave. She would be pretty content with just standing in Becky’s doorway the whole night, staring at the woman.

“You could stay for dinner... It’ll just be tuna sandwiches, but they’ll be the best tuna sandwiches you’ve ever had”. Becky offered a hopeful smile.

“As tempting as that sounds, I’ll have to take a raincheck”. Charlotte looked down to the floor, then back up at Becky. She hoped the Irish woman wouldn’t be too disappointed. Surprisingly, Becky had a smile on her face.

“Raincheck accepted , but let me drop you off”.

Charlotte gave an eager nod.

\---

Charlotte watched as Becky coolly gripped at the steering wheel with one hand and switched on the music system with the other. She was such a suave and brazen woman when she allowed herself to be. She flashed a smile in Charlotte’s direction and the blonde responded in kind. Becky had her Audi this time. Still a pretty impressive piece of machinery, but way less intimidating than her other cars.

“How come you don’t drive, doc?”, Becky asked. 

“I’m too busy with other things... Saving lives being one of them”.

Becky gave a hearty chuckle. “Get you”. She accelerated. “I can teach you, if you’d like?”

Charlotte rolled her eyes and turned the volume up.

“Your driving’s already a safety hazard so no thanks”.

“Cars are meant to go fast, Charlie”. Becky offered another sweet smile.

\---

Becky pulled up in front of Charlotte’s house. She really wanted to see the inside. She had a feeling it would be really clean and smell like disinfectant. Maybe everything inside was white with shades of grey or blue sprinkled in between. Maybe you had to take your shoes off before you entered.

“There you go. We arrived alive”. 

Charlotte unbuckled from the seatbelt. She turned to face the orange haired woman. “Thank you for dropping me off”.

“Hmm, you’re welcome. Mind if I walk you to your door this time?”

“I suppose you’ve earned it”, Charlotte offered with a faint smile adorning her features.

Becky waited for Charlotte to get out of the car before she followed. The cool air hit at her even though she had one of her customary oversized black hoodies on. She wondered if Charlotte was also cold. The blonde only had a royal blue empire style sundress on. They walked up the pathway and Becky watched as Charlotte crossed her arms close to her chest to generate some heat. The Dublin native immediately pulled off her hoodie and held it out for Charlotte to take.

“Put this on”.

Charlotte stared down at the garment in Becky’s hands and then to the Irish woman herself.

“I’m literally by my front door. I’ll be fine. You need that hoodie more than I do”.

Becky pouted and got on her the tips of her toes to try and put the hoodie on the taller woman.

Charlotte sighed and took the garment from Becky, pulling it over her head and down her torso.

“Happy now?”, she asked with mock annoyance.

Becky pulled at one of the hoodie’s strings. “Yeah”.

They made their way to the door, Becky trying really hard to put on a brave face as the cold breeze made the little hairs on her arms stand. Charlotte unlocked the door and switched on the lights. She turned back around and motioned at Becky. 

“You’ve got goosebumps all over your arms and shoulders, Elsa”.

“That’s only ‘cos you’re standing so close to me”, Becky joked and gave a cheeky wink.

“Do you want your hoodie back?”

“No, no... It’s yours now.”

Charlotte raised an eyebrow, but smiled despite herself. “Alright then. I have to be up really early in the morning so... Thank you for the ride and the tea”.

Becky fidgeted with her fingers. “Yeah, it was nothing. I like driving you around”.

Charlotte offered a smile and stepped into her house. “Good night, Becky. Don’t drive like a freaking idiot, okay? I need you alive”.

 Charlotte internally winced at her last sentence, but it had already been uttered – no point in kicking herself now. She tried to gage Becky’s expression. The shorter woman definitely picked up it because she had a wide grin on her face.

“Good night, Charlie”.

 


	5. The Date pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Becky and Charlotte set to go on their first date, Naomi seeks to draw first blood. 
> 
> Song for chapter is "Lotus Flower Bomb" by Wale ft Miguel

Becky sat with her feet on the coffee table, Macbook on her lap and eyes fixed on its screen. She wanted to plan the perfect first date for her and Charlotte. At first she wanted to cook dinner and put on a classic romantic film like Casablanca or Titanic, but two things were wrong with that idea. One, despite her love of the culinary arts, she was a terrible cook. And two, it would be incredibly cheesy. 

“Why don’t you fly her off to Paris or something? That would be a great first date”. Peyton sipped on her mimosa as she spoke. Becky hated that the two girls were already drinking and it was only ten in the morning.

“Oeh, or maybe to Morocco – you love Morocco”, Billie suggested.

Becky just shook her head and continued scrolling through Pinterest for date inspiration. “Charlotte’s a doctor – as in, a person with an actual JOB. She can’t just jet off in the middle of the week to wherever. And I don’t want to take her to another country – that’s seriously the most chaff move ever”.

R-Truth was next to speak. He had been sitting at the dining room table polishing down a stack of flapjacks.

“Seem like you need you a little Truth, Becks. I ain’t got all the answers like that internet box of yours, but I know my way around a woman”.

Becky snickered at her oldest friend’s words. “Okay Truth, what do YOU think I should do?”

Truth finished off his glass of orange juice – thankfully he wasn’t boozing already.

“Well, you gotta think about her. What do she like? She like all the flashy stuff or she like to keep it low-key? It ain’t about what you think will be perfect – it’s about what will be enjoyable for her as well”.

Becky scrunched her nose up as she thought for a while. She didn’t really know Charlotte all too well, if she was being honest. They’ve had a strange few months and it’s been complicated by Charlotte’s refusal to be more open about her life and Becky’s own demons she was trying to overcome.

“I... I don’t know what she likes... I mean I know she loves rap music and kids”. Becky chuckled some. “She doesn’t like cheese – blue cheese she’s never had. She’s not a morning person, she works out... That’s it”.

Peyton kissed her teeth. “If you’re not shagging and you’re not speaking... What do you do when you’re together?”

Becky shrugged. “We just... enjoy each other’s presence”.

Billie was about to say something, but Miz burst into the lounge slash dining room area. He looked well pissed off even with his sunglasses on.

“Fuck it, Becks – Naomi just dropped a diss track of you” he announced.

The Irish woman rolled her eyes and put the Macbook down on the chair next to her.

“So she made a little tune about how I’m a basic Irish bitch – whatever. It’s not like I haven’t been dissed by Azaelia Banks”, Becky said with a chortle and took a sip of water.

“No, no, no. This is much worse than that. She... she knows stuff Becks”.

 

\---

Charlotte could hardly contain her smile as she ran on the treadmill in the gym. Sasha was running next to her and glanced over at the blonde.

“Someone’s happy. What gives?”

“Oh nothing... Just workout euphoria”.

Sasha shook her head. “If you think I’m that dumb to fall for an excuse as lame as ‘workout euphoria’...”

“Okay, okay. I guess I should have told you, well you and Nat, that I’m going on a date tomorrow”. Charlotte looked over to see Sasha’s reaction. The purple haired woman looked annoyed. This threw Charlotte off a little.

“Don’t tell me it’s with that Becky Lynch woman”.

“Well, yeah...”

“Charlotte! You said she’s bad news”. Sasha stopped the treadmill and was now facing her tall friend.

“I know, but that was before... we had a moment. She helped me with Kimiko and... she invited me over to her place and we talked. Like, had a nice conversation”.

“And now you’re just gonna ignore all the warning signs you had and go on this date with her?”

Now Charlotte had stopped her treadmill, too. She folded her arms defensively and her eyes gleamed meanly over at Sasha.

“I know you’re just looking out for me, but I’m a grown woman and I make my own choices”.

“I am NOT gonna sit back and watch you get hurt again, Charlotte”. Sasha gave Charlotte a piercing look that made the blonde’s breath hitch. Was Sasha really going to bring up the past?

“Look, it’s just one date. We’re not moving in together. If she shows ANY sign of being a dick, I’ll kick her to the curb”.

Sasha didn’t look too convinced, but she gave small nod.

“Just be careful, there’s something about her that I don’t like”.

\---

**(( Yeah man I’m the baddest bitch around**

 

**I don’t do no gimmick shit, I don’t ever fool around.**

 

**All these rap bitches thinking they be fly, I be fly-er**

 

**And as for her, well I’mma extinguish her fire.**

 

**Aint even that straight, aint even that great.**

 

**Couldn’t find no rhymes so she started throwing plates.**

 

**Breaking all the shit in her house,**

 

**Kicking all her bitches out,**

 

**All cos her singles don’t sell**

 

**Hell, you been on the scene for so long aint never won an award**

 

**You talk ‘bout settling scores?**

 

**You can only manage a draw))**

Becky paused the song that was playing over the Bluetooth speaker.

“It’s not even that good”, Billie mumbled

“Look, Naomi's manager ... her manager is...”

“Carmella”, Becky finished the sentence.

“Yeah. She’s working on her first full length album now with our old label”.

Becky rested her hands on her knees and looked down at the ground for what felt like an eternity. No one said anything. Miz’s phone ringing was what finally broke the deafening silence.

“Mizanin speaking. Yeah... Now’s a good time to discuss that”. He walked into another room, leaving Becky, Billie, Peyton and Truth in the dining room.

“What are you gonna do now, Becks?”, Peyton asked in a small, slightly terrified voice.

Without lifting her head Becky said “Plan my date with Charlotte, what the fuck else would I be doing?”

\---

The break room was quiet, no one but Charlotte and Dr Sami sitting and eating their lunch.

“Have you heard from Becky Lynch again?”, Sami casually asked.

“Uh... yeah. Why?”. Charlotte took a small bite of her quiche and wondered why Sami was asking about Becky. No one besides her two girlfriends knew about her and Becky.

“It’s just... that night in the club... She seemed really into you. I mean I could tell she liked you”.

Charlotte gulped. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to talk to Sami about Becky. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to talk to anyone about Becky. Especially not after Sasha’s reaction to the news that Charlotte was going on a date with the woman. Natalya had been more optimistic. She said she hoped it went well and Charlotte believed her.

“We uh... talk from time to time”. This was all Charlotte could bring herself to say.

“Cool... I mean, she seems like a rad chick. Hey, if you ever talk to her again you gotta ask about that new Naomi song”

“What Naomi song?”. Charlotte looked at Sami with intent. She didn’t keep up with Naomi’s releases and she knew Sami wasn’t a big fan either. So it piqued her interest that Sami would be talking about Naomi and referencing Becky, too.

“You haven’t heard it? Naomi put out this diss track and she goes so hard on all the other female rappers. Becky Lynch was NOT spared”.

Charlotte felt a weird, flaming sensation in her chest. She needed to hear this song. She needed to know what was being said about her Be... about Becky.

“She goes full savage and talks about how Becky’s got like... anger issues or something. I don’t know how true it is but it’s brutal”. Sami throws his empty container in the garbage and makes his way to the door. 

“Anyway, I’ll see ya later. Have a nice day, Charlotte”.

Charlotte could only nod weakly at his words. It felt like her heart stopped beating for a few seconds. Anger issues? Becky had anger issues?

\---

**((Punching holes into walls,**

 

**Therapists had to get involved**

 

**That’s why last summer your music took a backseat**

 

**‘cos you were having a bad week))**

 

Charlotte paused the song. She had listened to it about five times already. She was suppose to get ready for her date with Becky. The Irish woman texted her and said she’d be by her door at six. Charlotte wasn’t sure how to respond, so she sent a thumbs-up emoji.

The last few hours have been strange for the tall, blonde woman. She woke really excited about going on a date with Becky Lynch, and tried to forget about Sasha and her negative Nelly attitude. But around lunch, after her conversation with Sami and after listening to Naomi’s song Charlotte wasn’t sure about the date anymore.

What if Naomi wasn’t lying? What if somehow Naomi had insider info that Becky WAS an angry person who threw china around and punched holes in walls? Charlotte felt like throwing up. She didn’t want to think about anything like that, knowing all the traumatic memories it would bring back.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter issa two-parter.


	6. The Date pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now we get to the *actual date*
> 
> Song is still Lotus Flower Bomb, which you should totally listen to because it's freaking amazing.

Just before six o clock, Charlotte was done dressing up. Her hair and make-up looked good and she felt good... well, better. She was still apprehensive about the date, but she knew the only way the find out the truth was by asking Becky herself. And boy did she need the truth. If anything was going to come from her seeing Becky, she needed to know whether or not Naomi’s claims were legit.

The knock on the door brought Charlotte back into the present. She felt her legs move towards the door, but her mind wasn’t registering anything yet. Once she opened the front door and stared back at Becky’s smiling face, she could feel the life seeping back into her body again.

“Hey gorgeous”, Becky said, pushing a dozen pink roses into Charlotte’s chest.“I didn’t know which ones you’d like so I went with these”.

Charlotte smiled as she accepted the flowers. “They’re really pretty, thank you. I’ll put them in water and we can go”.

Becky gave an eager nod.

“You can come in if you want”. Charlotte opened the door wider and motioned for Becky to enter.

The house was exactly what Becky was expecting. Minimalist. All white decor. Loads of glass surfaces. It smelled like spring – if that made sense.

“You have a lovely home”, Becky commented as she sat down on the couch.

“Thanks, I decorated it all myself. Can I get you some water?” Charlotte seemed nervous, edgy, in her own house.

Becky shook her head. “I’m good”.

Charlotte put the roses in a vase and placed it on the glass top coffee table.

“We can go now”, she offered with a small smile. Becky was too busy looking at the photos on the wall to say anything back.

“You used to play volleyball?”, she asked.

“Yeah... all through high school and undergrad. I stopped ‘cos med school was too much work”.

Becky nodded. “Priorities”.

“Yeah”, Charlotte said with a small chuckle.

\---

Becky drove her Audi, and Charlotte was a little relieved because that meant no sports-mode or Becky trying anything funny with a car that had more than 300 horsepower. 

There was some old school Drake playing in the car and Charlotte hummed along. This caused Becky to smile at the blonde woman. 

“I’ve met him a couple of times, chill dude by the way. He made a pass at me though”. 

Charlotte gave a bemused chuckle. “He didn’t know you’re gay?”

“Oh he knew... Told me he could change my mind”.

“Oh my god! What did you say?”

Becky gave a throaty chuckle. “I told him I’m all gay, all day”.

They laughed some more, Charlotte easing into the date more and letting herself enjoy being with Becky again.

“So where are we going?”, the older woman asked after a while.

“I’ll be honest – I wasn’t sure what you wanted to do and I didn’t wanna do anything lame or cheesy”.

“You’re made up of lame and cheesy”, Charlotte teased without any real malice in her tone.

“Damn! That was savage, but fair. I uh... I thought we could get dinner at this pub I usually go to whenever I’m homesick and then we could go see a movie. The foreign film cinema downtown has some great showings tonight. After that I’m taking you to mini-golf... I am Irish after all. And then I thought we could end the night off with a moonlit stroll on the beach”.

Charlotte glanced over at Becky with a wide grin on her face. “We’re doing all of that?” The Irish woman nodded excitedly.

 “I figured this might be the last time you agree to go out with me so might as well have ALL the dates”.

Charlotte pursed her lips together to keep from smiling. She felt like giggling at literally everything Becky said – so much for going in cautious.

“If you don’t want to do all of that we could just have dinner”.

“No, it’s fine. I’m just glad I don’t have work in the morning”. 

\---

There was something about eating greasy fries and deep-fried, battered cod in a slightly dodgy Irish themed pub with Becky Lynch that made Charlotte giddy as all hell.

 The orange haired woman had brought her to this charming little pub for dinner and Charlotte had to admit she was really enjoying herself. Becky was charming as ever, the food was great and for a moment it kind of felt like they were the only two people in the world.

“So tell me about Ireland... What was it like growing up there?”, Charlotte asked, head resting on palm.

Becky took a sip of water before she answered. “It was alright. Just me and my mum and my brother. She worked really hard, putting us through school, feeding us, dressing us all on her own”. Becky scratched the back of her neck. “I traded Dublin for London when I was fifteen. Busked on the streets, did gigs here and there... Sorry that’s not what you asked...”

“No, don’t be sorry – I want to get to know you, Becky”.

Becky gave half a smile. “I guess I had an okay childhood – my brother always had my back”.

Charlotte swallowed hard.

“They didn’t want me to go to London, but I was never gonna make it in the rap industry if I stayed in Ireland. When I turned 20 I met Ronnie or R-Truth and he brought me here. To Miami. We did house parties, school concerts – anything. For eight years we lived off of small change, ate ramen every single day...” Becky chuckled at the memory. “But then we made Straight Fire and all of a sudden record labels wanted to sign me”.

“And the rest is history?”

Becky shrugged. “Something like that”.

“This is really good food, by the way”, Charlotte said and took a fry from Becky’s plate.

“Hands off my chips, you woman!”, Becky swatted at Charlotte’s hand.

“It’s too good – I had to”.

“Hmm, I’ll forgive you this time”. Becky bit at the corner of her lower lip as she pushed her plate towards Charlotte. “We can share”

\---

Becky found herself with Charlotte’s arm around her shoulder as they watched the Finnish movie. She had no idea when the woman had done this, but she didn’t care in the slightest. Having Charlotte’s arm around her was truly incredible and the particulars didn’t matter.

“I think the mother’s the killer”, Charlotte whispered.

“Killer? What are you talking about? She was there at the party with the priest when the daughter got shot”.

“No she wasn’t, she came in later”.

“I think I know what I saw, Charlie”.

“But did you read the subtitles?”

“Wait... we’re supposed to read the subtitles?” Becky asked sarcastically. Charlotte gave an eye roll in response.

“You smell like strawberries, did you know that?”, Becky said in a whisper. She turned to the blonde, their eyes meeting for the first time that night.

“Well you smell like oranges so...Just watch the damn movie”, Charlotte mumbled.

\---

“Honestly though, how are you so good at mini-golf?”, Becky asked as she opened her car door and got out.

“I play with my dad every Saturday morning. Probably should have mentioned that”. Charlotte got out of the car, too. They had spent about an hour at the mini-golf course and now they were on the beach for the promised moonlit walk.

“I can’t believe you beat me. I was supposed to be really good and then I would let you win and you would think it was cute”. Becky reached in the backseat and took out a black hoodie that she pulled over her white tank top.

“I was wondering when you’d put a jacket or something on”, Charlotte noted. “I could see you were a little chilly in the movie theatre”.

“Oh, so that’s why you put your arm around me?” Becky teased. She reached from Charlotte’s hand and blonde allowed Becky’s hand to hold hers.

“I thought it might help”.

“It definitely made me feel a lot hotter”, Becky said with a wink.

“You’re a pervert – I’m dating a pervert”.

Charlotte bit down at her lip and hoped Becky didn’t hear that.

“Oh so now we’re dating? How am I only hearing about this now?” Becky nudged at Charlotte with her shoulder.

“I d-didn’t mean it like that... I meant... going on a date”.

Becky gave a hearty laugh. “I’m messin’ with ya, love. I know what you meant”.

They walked in compatible silence for a while, before Charlotte cleared her throat to speak. “I... heard Naomi’s new song... it’s terrible”. Charlotte could hear Becky’s sigh and instantly regretted bringing it up.

“You heard that crap, huh?”

“So it’s all bullshit?”, Charlotte asked cautiously.

“The stuff she said about me? It’s not not true”.

“Double negative... always a good sign”.

Becky let go of Charlotte’s hand and sat herself down on the sand, facing the ink black ocean. She felt Charlotte sit down next to her. They were so close, their thighs were touching.

“Is that what you’ve been thinking about the entire time?” Becky’s voice was laced with sadness and Charlotte internally kicked herself for doing this.

“I heard the song today and yes – I did think about it for a while. But not when you knocked at my door, not when we had dinner, not when we watched the movie and not when I was kicking your ass at mini-golf”.

Becky managed a sad chuckle. She was startled by Charlotte’s lean hand on her knee. She looked up into the woman’s green eyes that seemed to be sparkling even though it was so dark.

“Just tell me the truth... I feel like I’m owed that”. 

“About a year ago I was going through some things. I couldn’t write, couldn’t focus and I grew frustrated. So yes, I threw a plate against the wall and yelled at people”. Becky shook her head. “I went to therapy for a bit and the only reason Naomi knows this is because my ex is her manager now. She probably told Naomi everything”.

“That’s... Becky that’s awful. Come here”, Charlotte pulled Becky is for a side hug. She nestled her face into Becky’s fiery mane.

Becky pulled away, only to look Charlotte in the face. “You don’t have to worry, Charlotte. I’m not gonna hurt you. I’m not violent – just depressed”.

Charlotte’s eyes were full of worry. “Are you saying you...”

Becky bit at her lower lip. “I’m on anti-depressants. Happy pills. I’ve been on ‘em for a while now”.

Charlotte reached out and grabbed Becky’s hand, gently squeezing it.

“Thank you for telling me. And I’m really sorry for bringing all of this up”

“Guess I just ruined everything, right? Scared you off…” Becky leaned forward and traced her finger through the sand.

“Hey, look at me” Charlotte lifted Becky’s chin. The brown eyes that she looked into did not belong to Becky. These weren’t the eyes she thought about late at night when she couldn’t fall sleep. They were sad, swimming in tears.

“I’m still here…I’m not running away”.

“You probably should”.

Charlotte frowned. “Kinda sounds like you want me to”.

“No, of course I don’t want that. I just don’t know if I’ll ever get better”. Becky hugged her knees and stared out in front of her.

“Remember when you said I was worth waiting for?”

“Yeah, but…”

“I don’t know what this is Becky… Or what it could become. I just know I don’t wanna lose it”.

Becky’s head jolted up. She went searching for Charlotte’s eyes.

“I don’t want to lose this either”.

Charlotte’s voice was soft - comforting really. “Good. We’ll take it one day at a time. At a pace we’re both okay with”. 

Becky now had her eyes fixed on the woman sitting next to her. She offered a smile and Charlotte responded in kind.

“We just need to have a little patience”. 

Charlotte nodded and pulled Becky in for a hug. It was the most comforting feeling in the world, being able to melt into Charlotte’s warm body. Becky wished they could stay like that forever.

“This is probably the most dramatic first date you’ve ever had, right?”, Becky asked as she begrudgingly pulled herself away from Charlotte.

“Oh it definitely is – but I wouldn’t change it”. Charlotte looked around and noticed how dark it really was.

“An empty beach in the middle of the night probably isn’t the safest place”, the blonde said with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, no, but I do live just over there”. Becky turned around and pointed to one of the three mansions that weren’t too far off the beach.

“Ah! So you lured me to your beach house?”

Becky gave a cheeky grin. “Sort of”.

Charlotte crossed her arms, awaiting some kind of explanation.

“I know Miami and how busy the beaches get, but this area is pretty secluded. I just wanted you all to myself tonight”.

“You did – for like, six hours”, Charlotte said with a chuckle.

“Okay, okay. It’s late, I get it. I’ll take you home”.

\---

They didn’t really talk for much of the drive. Charlotte did find herself staring at Becky’s perfect jaw line at one point, but then shifted her gaze towards the road ahead. She found it incredibly cute that Becky could drive out to her house without her having to give directions anymore.

“When’s your birthday?”, Becky suddenly asked.

“Uh, April… why?”

The orange haired woman smiled. “Just wonderin’. Making conversation really. You’ve been so quiet the entire time”.

“I’m always quiet. You’re the talker”. Charlotte gave a pout and fiddled with her fingers.

Becky licked her lips and the sight of her tongue made Charlotte let out a soft gasp.

“I’m a smooth talker, I’ll admit to that”.

Becky stopped the car and Charlotte only then realized they were at her house already. Turns out it’s not such a long drive when your attention is fixed on a gorgeous woman.

“Thanks Becky… I had a really lovely time tonight”. Charlotte unbuckled her seatbelt and pulled the dark blue cardigan she was wearing closer to chest.

“So did I. It was everything I hoped it would be”.

There were a few more seconds of pregnant pause.

“What kind of date would I be if I didn’t walk you to your door?”, Becky asked.

“A terrible one. Come on”.

Becky tried to keep up with Charlotte, but the blonde’s long legs carried her much faster than Becky’s own carried her. They reached the front door, but instead of unlocking it and opening it like she did the last time, Charlotte just leans against it. Her gaze meets Becky’s and the shorter woman gives a shy smile.

“We should do this again…” Charlotte said, pulling at one of the strings of Becky’s hoodie.

“Definitely, love”.

They enveloped each other into a hug. Their third of the night. This one was different though, or at least it felt different for Charlotte. This was the first time she didn’t want to let go. The first time she hoped Becky wouldn’t let go either. God she wanted them to stay locked together for the rest of the night. But this exact want for closeness was what made her pull away abruptly.

“You still have a long drive back… You should probably go”. She cleared her throat and searched her clutch for her keys.

“Yeah… I’ll text you when I get home”. Becky’s tone was hopeful.

Charlotte nodded, almost impatiently. “Drive safe”. She unlocked the door and got into her house as quickly as she could. She offered a quick smile to Becky before slamming the door shut on the other woman.   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love to geek out on Tumblr, so look me up and we can be weird & gay together : RileySav7


	7. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After an emotionally charged first date, Becky and Charlotte refect on their feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, all that drama/angst/date night fluff killed me... So this is a nice diversion from that. 
> 
> Song for this chapter is Lack Of Better Word by K. Dot & the kween SZA

Even if she hated to admit it, Becky did enjoy being back at her beach front mansion, soaking up the sun as she laid stretched out on a deck chair.

Billie and Peyton got into a fight about God knows what and they weren’t speaking to each other. Peyton caught some sun with Becky, while Billie was out on a shopping spree. She whined to Becky that retail therapy would make her feel better and the rapper conceded. Now Billie was out buying virtually everything she laid her eyes on.

“How much money you think she can spend in one day?”, Becky asked Peyton and readjusted her sunglasses on her face.

The raven haired woman shrugged.  
“Depends whether she’s buying shoes too. I’d say eight, maybe nine grand”.

“Bloody hell! You two will be the death of me, I swear”.  
Peyton just chuckled and took a sip of her daiquiri.

“You love us. Even if you’ll never admit it”. 

Becky rolled her eyes behind the lenses of her sunglasses. She did care about Peyton and Billie. They weren’t just people she kept around. They were her friends. And even though they partied way too much and often did really stupid things, she knew she could trust them.

“What did you two fight about anyway? Who snorted the last coke or something?” Becky was joking, but the distain was very evident in her tone. She hated that the girls were caught up in party drugs. 

“What? No! We just... I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately and she doesn’t like that”. Peyton got up from the deck chair and sat by the edge of the infinity pool, dipping her toes into the water.

“And what the hell is that supposed to mean?” Becky sat up straight now. She was effectively talking to the back of Peyton’s head.

“Just... whatever. It’s not important Becks. Let’s talk about you”. Peyton turned around and flashed a big smile at the orange haired woman. “How was your date with sexy Charlotte?”

Just the mention of Charlotte’s name set Becky’s thoughts on fire. She never knew she could actually feel this way about another person. She was so madly in love with Charlotte already that she refused to think about it too much because she was afraid it would consume her completely.

“Come on, Becks. I’m waiting here”. Peyton nudged at Becky’s leg.

“It was nice... better than nice. It was really good”. Becky found herself grinning like a schoolgirl and Peyton was wise to it.

“Oh my days! Looks like our Becky’s a real smitten kitten!”

Before Becky could answer, the loud and obnoxious voice of Miz spoke from almost out of nowhere.

“BECKS! There’s my number one girl. Studio called the morning – they loved the demos you sent out. They hate that Naomi one-upped you yesterday with that janky-ass song, but they think you can hit back”.

Becky raised her glasses to her head. She was very much annoyed. Not by Miz’s presence – if anything he was just doing his job- but by the fact that she could never just relax and do what she actually wants to do. 

“I’m not hitting back. I refuse to slump down to that chancer’s level. If she wants to keep this beef up, let her. Carmella’s only got so much dirt on me. They’ll run out eventually”.

Miz shook his head. “You don’t understand, Becks. Stephanie and the rest of the guys at the studio want you to hit back”.

“Well I don’t want to. And last time I checked they can’t MAKE me do anything”.

Miz now took of his sunglasses too.

“Becky... you can’t go against the authority like that. These people can make or break your career”.

There was a few seconds of silence. Miz clearly annoyed by Becky’s defiance and Becky clearly not amused by the conversation.

“So what do they want me to do?”, the Irishwoman finally asked.

Miz had his sunglasses on again. “They’ve decided to drop Hot As Hell as the first single release and they want a more aggressive single”.

“Aggressive?”

“Yeah... Something a little less quirky and happy. Something more arrogant and vicious”.

“Arrogant and vicious?” Becky thought out loud and she got up from the deck chair.

“Think you can do it?”, Miz asked as he followed Becky inside.

“Of course”.

\---

Charlotte watched as the waitress placed her and her father’s breakfast on the restaurant table. With a smile and an “enjoy”, she left the two.

“So, how’s my little princess doing?”, Ric asked as he began to butter his toast.

Charlotte watched as he did this and frowned.  
“Dad, cholesterol. It’s not a myth”.

Ric rolled his eyes. “You’re too serious. It’s just a little butter”.

Charlotte drank from her glass of orange juice before she spoke.

“Health is wealth, Dad. You like money – well one’s health is priceless”.

“Alright, alright. You got me there, Lottie”. 

Charlotte cringed at the nickname, but said nothing. 

“You still haven’t answered me. How’re you doing?"

Charlotte sighed and picked at her fruit salad. “I’m doing alright. Work is good. We’re busy, but that’s not always a bad thing. I’ve been sticking to my new training regimen religiously. What else... Nat and Sasha are doing great. The salon is so busy that Sasha rarely ever has a day off. Nat’s on the prowl for a man... As always”. Charlotte chewed on a cube of mango. “We’re all doing fine”.

Ric nodded approvingly as he ate his brunch.

“Geez, Dad. Are you even listening to me?” Charlotte asked with a furrowed brow.

“Of course. Works good, fitness is good. Friends are good. I heard all of that. It’s not what I asked though, but maybe that’s just you answering the question in your own way”.

Charlotte rolled her eyes. Her father always had this way of really working on her last nerve. He knew her so well. He knew just what to say to get a certain reaction from her.

“Okay... Jesus... “, Charlotte said with an exasperated sigh. “I’m fine. I’m surviving. There are still a lot of bad dreams, but I’m still in therapy and Dr Bryan says I’m making a lot of progress”.

Ric smiled at his daughter. “That’s more like it. I’m glad you’re still going to therapy, princess. And I’m so happy that it’s helping you”. He reached out to give her hand a quick squeeze.

They ate in silence for a while.

“You know I love you right?”, Ric asked.

Charlotte gave half a smile. “I know, Dad. Love you too”.

\---

“You know you can call her, right?”. Mandy said as she watched Becky play around with the cell phone in her hand.

“Excuse me?”, Becky asked. Her mind was clearly somewhere else. 

Mandy thought it was rather cute seeing Becky like this.

“You should call Charlotte. You guys had a nice date which, thanks to impeccable planning by your awesome assistant, the paparazzi didn’t even know about. You’re allowed to call her and ask how she’s doing”.

Becky glanced at the other woman before turning her focus to her phone again.

“I texted her last night and this morning and she just replied with emojis. I’m not sure she wants to talk”. 

Mandy spotted the worry in Becky’s brown eyes and knew she had to convince her that she was just being overly anxious.

“Look Becks, she wouldn’t have said yes if she didn’t wanna spend time with you. I don’t know her or anything, but I can gather that she does like you. Get out of your own head and CALL her”. Mandy gave a sincere smile before slipping off to the kitchen to check on how dinner was coming along.

Becky took a deep breath and dialed the number she had been hovering her finger over for at least a couple of hours.

She did care about Charlotte, but she also wanted to respect her space. Especially since they agreed to take things slow.

It rang three times before the Charlotte picked up.

“Hi, Becky”. She sounded pleased. Maybe calling was the right thing to do, Becky thought.

“Hey... I just called...”

“To say you love me?”

Becky gave a hearty laugh at the joke.

“Okay, you got me there. Good one. Nice joke-stealing, by the way”.

Charlotte chuckled some. “What are you doing?”, she asked.

Becky thought for a few seconds. What was she doing?

“Just chilling at home with Mandy – uhm, my assistant. Chef’s making venison and sweet potato chips for dinner and she just went to check up on him”.

Charlotte’s grin was almost audible. “Private chefs and assistants, huh? What are you? Some kind of star?”

“You know it, love”.

“I thought you weren’t into all that ostentatious crap”.

“I’m not – but a private chef is a must in every kitchen”. Becky smiled when she heard Charlotte’s laugh.

“Why don’t you come over for dinner? It’ll just be me and Mandy and Peyton. Girls night in kinda thing”.

Charlotte cleared her throat. “I... I have a lot of things to do tonight. I have to read a research paper for this new study that they’re doing in Belgium and...”

“Hey, I get it. You’re a busy woman. As long as you’re not avoiding me on purpose”, Becky managed to joke. 

Charlotte didn’t respond for a few seconds.

“No... No that’s not what I’m doing”.

“Alright, well I hope you have a good night. Hope that paper won’t keep you up all night”.

Charlotte uttered an almost inaudible “bye Becky”, before ending the call.

Becky didn’t know what to make of the other woman’s strange behaviour. One minute last night they were hugging, allowing each other in for the first time and the next she slams the door in Becky’s face. Now she was cracking jokes one minute and ending a call before Becky could even say bye.

“I take it she’s not gonna come around for dinner”, Mandy asked. She sat down next to Becky with a wine glass in her hand.

“She’s... busy”, was all Becky said before she got up from the sofa and made her way to her bedroom.

\---

It was around midnight when the buzzing of her cell phone woke Becky right up. She had always been a light sleeper.

Without checking the caller ID, she hit answer.

“What?”, she croaked, half asleep and fully annoyed.

“Hi Becky... I’m sorry for calling so late”.

Charlotte’s voice on the other end of the line was small. And soft. And gentle. It made Becky fully aware of her faculties.

“Charlotte? What happened? What’s wrong?’, she asked rapidly.

“Why do you always think something’s wrong when I call you?” Charlotte let out a quick chuckle.

“I don’t know... Maybe because you always call when I least expect it”. Becky still wasn’t fully awake, but she was sitting up in bed with her continental pillow was a makeshift headrest.

“I’m sorry – I know it’s late, but I just couldn’t sleep without telling you... without apologizing. I felt like crap after hanging up on you... and after last night”.

Becky sighed into the phone. “You don’t have to apologize. I get that you’re apprehensive about... whatever we’re doing here. You have every right to be”.

“Still... I owe you some kind of explanation, don’t I?”

Becky bit down at her lip. “Yeah... it would help”.

Becky could hear Charlotte taking a deep breath in and then out. She smiled at the thought of the woman being all nervous, probably looking so cute.

“I think I’m wary because... because I like you too much”.

Neither one spoke for what felt like hours.

“You like me?”, Becky asked slowly.

“Yeah... a lot”. Charlotte didn’t want to sound too exasperated, too annoyed at Becky’s obliviousness. But she needed the woman to understand that she had feelings for her.

“Thanks for telling me then...” Becky settled back under the covers. “I like you as well”.

“So we’re good now? You don’t have to worry that I’m gonna ghost on ya and I don’t have to keep being awkward around you?”

“Yeah... yeah we’re good now, Charlie”. Becky gave a long yawn and closed her eyes. “What are ya doin’?”, she asked. Her accent always grew thicker when she was sleepy.

“I’m in bed with that damn research paper wishing I could just doze off”.

“You can... You don’t always have to be a good girl who does all her homework”. Becky giggled and felt herself get sleepier by the second.

“You’re tired, so I’ll let that slide. I have to go now... Night Becky”.

Becky whined a little, not wanting to say goodbye to Charlotte yet.

“Stay for just a few seconds more... Pleeease?”

Charlotte smiled at the thought of a sleepy Becky curled up under the covers. She wondered on which side of the bed the Irishwoman slept.

“Alright... I’ll stay. What do you wanna talk about?”

\---

The sun was already high up in the sky when Becky woke up the next morning. She couldn’t quite remember when she fell asleep, but she remembered listening to Charlotte go on and on about some weird Belgian science. When she told the blonde they could talk about anything, she didn’t think Charlotte would take that as an excuse to continue reading her journal article. Becky didn’t mind though – anything to keep Charlotte around.

Becky rolled over and checked the time on her phone. It was almost midday. She was supposed to be at the studio at two, so there was more than enough time to get ready. 

An impatient knock on the door made her sit up straight.

“It’s me! Can I come in?”

Becky grunted a response and shortly after, Mandy Rose entered her bedroom.

“Whatever it is, if it’s stupid – I’m not doing it” Becky said as she got out of bed and walked over to open the blinds.

Mandy shifted her weight from one foot to the other before she spoke.

“It’s nothing big... just Naomi being a bitch again”. She watched as Becky tied her hair up in front of the full length mirror.

“What did she do now?” Becky asked, voice dripping with annoyance. Mandy didn’t know if her boss’ annoyance was directed at her or Naomi.

“She was on that radio show. You know the one? With that super judgy Renee Young?”

Becky rolled her eyes. “What did she say Mandy?”

Mandy cleared her throat before she spoke. “She just kinda said that you’re scared of her and that she could out-rap and upstage you whenever she wants”. 

Becky said nothing. She just looked at her own reflection in the mirror.

“Should we make a statement or...”

“Why don’t you take the rest of the day off?”, Becky turned around and smiled at her awestruck assistant.

“But this is...”

“Unimportant. Go to that spa you guys are always raving about. Take Peyton and Billie with you”. Becky walked over to the bathroom. “Just make sure Truth’s at the studio by two”, she said just before closing the bathroom door.

\---

Lunch with Natalya and Sasha was strange.

Instead of their usual fun and flowing conversations, the three women seemed to be straining themselves whenever someone said something. Charlotte knew what all the tension was about. Sasha didn’t like that she was going out with Becky and Natalya was encouraging it. This had clearly created a divide between the three friends. 

“So Sasha, how are things going at the salon? Are you still crazy busy or can you finally fit me in? My nails look I’ve been digging for potatoes”, Natalya joked.

Sasha took a sip of water before speaking. “You can come by tomorrow. Ember doesn’t have that many appointments for tomorrow”. The delivery was cold, distant and it upset Charlotte endlessly.

“Okay, this is bullshit. Sasha you’re mad at me, you don’t have to be a bitch to Nat about this”, she spat, shooting a venomous look at the purple haired woman.

Sasha turned to Charlotte and crossed her arms. “You’re the reason I’m like this, you know. You’re STILL hanging out with that woman even though that Naomi song...”

“Oh please Sasha... Do tell me how a song by a person you don’t know has made you dislike another person THAT YOU DON’T KNOW!”

A few heads in the restaurant turned to Charlotte’s table. 

“You’re unbelievable”, Sasha said and shook her head in disbelief.

“Come on, girls. Let’s not do this here”. Natalya always had to play peacekeeper. She was the calm in between the storm that was always just about the threathen. Charlotte and Sasha’s relationship had always been a passionate one.

“I have to go. I can’t even look at the two of you right now”, Sasha said as she got up from her chair. 

Throwing a few notes on the table, she leaned down closer to Charlotte and said “I hope Nat’s there to dry your tears once this whole thing goes south... Cos I won't be”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It might not look it, but this chapter is gonna be *very* important in the grand scheme of things...
> 
> -ominous music starts playing-
> 
> Foreshadowing issa real thing. 
> 
> I'll be away for a month or so, but don't worry - I will continue the fic xx


	8. The Sunset

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Becky is excited about her new song and possible new persona... But she faces old demons and enemies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup. 
> 
> After weeks of studying for and writing exams, coupled with writer's block and my intense need to write teenage!Charlynch - Take Care is back. 
> 
> Song for this chapter is Slide by Calvin Harris ft. Frank Ocean, Quavo and Offset. 
> 
> Enjoy x

Peyton and Billie made up.

Becky knew this because of the low moans coming from their bedroom. She chuckled as she knocked on the door.

“Oy, stop all that lesbian activity and join us in the living room! Debuting my new song! Be there in five minutes”.

Becky trotted off to the living room. She was very pleased with herself. She managed to write and record a brand-new song in less than a week and it was pretty damn hot. Truth had outdone himself with the beat and the final mix sounded great.

So to celebrate ‘Everyone’s Tough’, Becky invited a few people over to the manse. It was just going to be her usual gang: Miz and his wife Maryse, Truth, Mandy and the two lovebirds. She also invited Paige from the record label and of course, Charlotte.

“You know, everyone at the label is so excited about this new direction you’re going in Becky”. Paige smiled over her glass of Scotch.

“Well, I was coerced into this new role so...” Becky said with a smirk.

“That’s only because we knew you’d thrive in it”. Paige’s raspy voice and Norwich accent only added to her whole mysterious aesthetic. “And any true fan would know your older EP’s and how hard you went on those”. Paige winked at a bemused Becky.

“You know my older stuff? Like, before I got signed?”

Paige gave a sweet smile. “Of course, babygirl”.

Becky held Paige’s gaze for a few seconds before shaking her head and letting out a chuckle.

“I hope you like this new song then”.

Paige nodded. “I’m sure I will”. She walked off to chat with Maryse. Becky looked on. She had met Paige a few times before, but their encounters had always been formal and business-like. This was different and for some reason it left Becky feeling some type of way. She couldn’t ponder on it for too long, the doorbell rang and she knew that it was Charlotte.

Becky skipped off, excited to see Charlotte and eager for them to spend time together. She explained that it was a social gathering and that Charlotte could bring her friends along. Becky really wanted to reassure them that she was a good person, despite what was being said in the tabloids and online.  
Becky opened the front door and wasn’t too surprised to see that Charlotte turned up alone.

“Hello you”, Becky said and stood to the side so Charlotte could enter.

“I’m sorry I’m late...”

“Are you kidding? You had to take a forty minute Uber out here. I’m just glad you came”.

Charlotte’s eyes wandered, trying to take in the foyer. This was more like the sort of place she expected Becky to be living in.

“I actually don’t even like the beach, but it’s nice and quiet here so...”

Charlotte gave a sideways glance at Becky and snickered. “You own Norman Rockwell paintings? I never pegged you as a Rockwell girl”.

“To be honest, these were here when I moved in”, Becky said with a shrug.

Charlotte finally turned away from the painting and smiled at Becky. “How stupid do you think I am”.

Becky scratched the back of her neck and relented. “Okay, so I love how his work depicts American culture”.

“Ha! I knew it- You’re an art geek”. Charlotte held out a bottle of red wine she had brought as a gift. Becky accepted the gift with slight amusement.

“Don’t call me an art geek when you’re the one who recognized that it was a Rockwell at first glance”. She looked at the bottle of wine in her hand. “And thank you for this. You didn’t have to get me anything but obviously you would because you’re perfect”.

Charlotte rolled her eyes and hoped her blush wasn’t too visible.

“Come on, let’s join the others”, Becky said as she gently tugged at Charlotte’s hand.

\---

Charlotte’s initial anxiety about meeting Becky’s friends wore off as soon as she entered the living room and literally no one was paying her any attention. They were all either conversing or scrolling on their phones.

Becky let go of Charlotte’s hand, only to walk over to the bar area and fix Charlotte a drink. She returned a few minutes later with a martini.

“You like these right?”

“Yeah – good memory you got there”.

Charlotte took the cocktail and sipped on it, nodding in approval.

“Let me introduce you to everyone. I know you’ve seen ‘em all, but it’s good to be formal sometimes” Becky noted and lead Charlotte to where Mandy, Billie and Peyton were seated. The Irishwoman grinned at the two dark haired girls, knowing they’d made up again.

“Alright Charlie, this is Peyton and her girlfriend or lover -or ‘ _roommate_ ’ if this were the seventies – Billie”. Becky squeezed in between Billie and Peyton and wrapped her arms around them.

“Oh, we know Charlotte. We brought her to you” Billie said and took a sip of champagne.

“But it’s good to see you again”, Peyton offered with a smile.

Charlotte smiled and nodded, not sure how to respond.

“And this is Mandy – the greatest personal assistant in the world”, Becky said as she leaned over to pat Mandy’s knee.

“Nice to finally meet you”, the very tan and very blonde woman said. She extended a hand, which Charlotte shook. 

“It’s nice to meet you too. All three of you”.

“You should come by more often, Becks is so chill when you’re around”, Mandy said as she gave a sideways glance in Becky’s direction.

Charlotte chuckled some. “It’s so gorgeous here, I might move in”.

Becky went on to introduce Charlotte to R-Truth, her producer and closest friend and Miz, her manager. He had his wife with him, but she didn’t pay much attention to anything other than her cell phone. There was another woman, pale and British, who greeted Charlotte with a raised eyebrow. Becky explained that she worked for the label. Charlotte politely greeted the black haired woman, but didn’t interact with her again.

“Alright, alright. Can I have everybody’s attention?”, Becky said as she made her way to the station where all the music equipment was set up.

Charlotte perched up in her seat. She enjoyed her earlier banter with Becky –she always did- but so far that had been the only highlight. She didn’t fit in with Becky’s friends. She didn’t get their jokes or why they were always checking their phones and switching from drink to drink.

Eventually she realized that these were just their lives. They didn’t have nine to five workdays or hedges that needed trimming. All they did was show up to places, have their photos taken and that was it.

By now everyone had quieted down, affording Becky the time to give her speech.

“So a few days ago I was told that I needed to write a song that went against the grain... You know, I’ve done all the comedy stuff and the mixtapes about whatever. But this is the new and _badass_ Becky Lynch”.

“And she killin’ too!”, Truth called out. A low hum of chuckles filled the living room.

“Thank you man... But Truth’s right, I am killing it. That’s why I am so proud to share my new song – new sound- with you”. Becky took a deep breath and leaned over to press play. Almost instantly a mid-tempo trap beat started playing. Pretty soon Becky’s vocals could be heard. Charlotte bobbed her head to it, it wasn’t bad – just different.

Becky had been talking to Paige and Miz, but smiled at Charlotte. The blonde noticed and smiled back. There was something about Becky that absolutely captivated Charlotte. She didn’t what it was, but it drew her closer. Like a moth to a flame.

“It’s the hair”.

“What?”, Charlotte shifted her gaze to the right to meet Peyton’s.

“You can’t stop looking at her because of the hair. She does that on purpose, you know. That colour”. Peyton pointed at Becky with the pinkie of the hand she held a champagne flute in. “She dyes it like that on purpose so she gets all the attention. Even though she acts like she couldn’t be bothered”.

Charlotte stifled a laugh. “I figured no one could be _that_ ginger”. She intently looked at the Australian woman. “Any other Becky secrets I should know about?”

Peyton smiled into the glass. “She’s in love with you”.

The words threw Charlotte completely off guard. She swallowed deep for a few times and felt her mouth go dry. She hardly noticed Becky approaching.

“Ey, don’t talk to Peyton for too long, she’ll suck you into her world of Vogue magazines and getting out of bed at midday”, Becky joked.

“You can count yourself lucky I’m in such a good mood, Becks”. Peyton gave a mock mean glare and walked off.

Charlotte was still too awestruck to say anything. Peyton couldn’t have been serious, _right_? For whatever reason Charlotte didn’t want to think about it. Not right then anyway.

“So? What did you think?”, Becky eagerly asked. She had a hopeful expression on her face.

“I-I liked it. I mean, I loved it...” Charlotte was still too flustered to think of anything else, anything better to say.

“I know it’s different. You don’t have to lie to...”

“I’m not lying – really. I enjoyed it. I’ll even buy it on iTunes even though you could just send me the file”. Charlotte tried her hand at humor. Becky smiled but she didn’t look too convinced.

“Thank you. And sorry about being so anxious about this... It’s hard to put your work out there for people to critique”.

Charlotte placed a comforting hand on Becky’s shoulder. “I can’t imagine how difficult that must be”.

Becky looked around the room, then back at Charlotte. “Do you wanna ditch this thing and just go hang out somewhere?”

Charlotte almost said yes too quickly.

\---

Becky wasn’t sure where they were going. It didn’t matter anyway. All that mattered was spending time alone with Charlotte. She glanced over at the blonde woman next to her and smiled. Charlotte looked so much more relaxed than at the party. She noticed how tense the blonde was and then got the idea to save her from all of that. Even she could admit that her friends were a lot to deal with.

“I noticed your friends didn’t come along. Were they busy?” Becky skipped the Big Sean song – too much ego- and smiled when there was some Wale playing instead.

“I...didn’t tell them”.

Becky nodded.

“To be honest, you’ve caused quite a divide between us”. Charlotte looked over to gauge Becky’s reaction. The orange haired woman looked rather upset.

“It’s not that they don’t like you Becky, it’s just... they don’t _know_ you. And TMZ is certainly not helping”. Charlotte wanted to assure Becky that it wasn’t her fault.

“If you feel like you have to choose between your friends and me... I’d understand if you chose...”

Charlotte sighed. She massaged a temple as she interjected “You’re not getting in the way. Sasha just has to get over whatever it is she’s... Look all that matters is that I’m their friend and yours. I don’t have to choose”.

Becky glanced over again. “Are you sure?”

“Positive”, Charlotte said reassuringly.

\---  
It all happened in the blink of an eye. One minute Becky was leading Charlotte through the doors of a swanky cocktail bar, telling the blonde how this establishment was one of her favourites and how incredible their tapas were. They only reached the bar and even before ordering, a group of people had congregated around them.

Becky was friendly. Annoyed, but friendly. She took selfies with them, answered some of their questions and then politely asked for some privacy. All this time Charlotte was being effectively ignored. She didn’t mind though. Becky was the famous one – the one everyone wanted to talk to.

“Charlotte... I-I’m so freakin’ sorry. This hardly ever happens”, Becky looked genuinely apologetic.

“It’s okay. I figured stuff like that happens to you. You _are_ a pretty big deal”.

The two enjoyed their drinks without incident. Charlotte noticed the curious gazes from the other patrons. She also noticed how edgy it left Becky. So, she suggested they go home.

“Are you sure? We can...”

“Becky I can see how much this is upsetting you”. Charlotte nodded down to Becky’s leg bouncing up and down.

The Irish woman decided not to argue. She gave a defeated sigh and grabbed her car keys from the counter. “Let’s go then”.

Becky didn’t hold Charlotte’s hand like she did when they entered, in fact – she hurriedly walked ahead and even with her long legs, Charlotte struggled to keep up.

“Are you okay? Becky!”

The ginger woman stopped to turn around. “Great”, she breathed out. “Can we just get out of here?” She smiled, but it was clearly forced.

Becky and Charlotte had made their way out of the bar, but before they could reach Becky’s car, they were surrounded by what Charlotte assumed were the paparazzi. Ten or so guys with their cameras out and using their phones as recording devices.

Becky lowered her Ray-Bans, flat out ignoring the men swarming around them.

_Becky, you have any thoughts on Naomi and that diss track she dropped?_

_Hey Becky, is it true that you were admitted to a psych hospital for treatment?_

_Is this your new girlfriend, Becks?_

Becky kept on walking, glancing over her shoulder to see where Charlotte was and if she was keeping up. The blonde had not been spared this time.

_Who are you? Becky’s girlfriend?_

_Hey Blondie, you dating Becky? Because TMZ reported she was sleeping with TV’s ‘goddess’ Alexa Bliss..._

“Get in the car, Charlie. Now”, Becky hissed at Charlotte. She slid into the driver’s seat and watched as the blonde did the same. Then, without warning, Becky sped off in a ridiculous haste. Charlotte didn’t even have a chance to put her seatbelt on.

Charlotte felt drunk all of a sudden. Her head spun, her heart was beating in her throat. She dared to place a hand on Becky’s knee. The other woman’s eyes were fixed on the road.

“Becky, please... J-just slow down”. She was begging, pleading.

The rapper stopped the car immediately, causing her and Charlotte to jerk forward.

The blonde shot an irate look. “What the FUCK was that?! Do you want to kill us?! Jesus, Becky”.

“I’m sorry... Really... I just needed to get away from...” Becky rested her head against the steering wheel. Charlotte would’ve really let her have it, but she heard the soft sobs coming from the woman.

“Becky...” Her voice was gentle now – comforting.

“I’m so fucking stupid”, Becky said, sniffling.

“You’re not stupid”. Charlotte placed a hand on Becky’s back. “At most you’re an irresponsible fuck”. Charlotte gave a humourless chuckle and rubbed Becky’s back. “But I kinda knew that already”.

Becky lifted her head and found the blonde’s green eyes, carefully seeking hers. “I truly am sorry, Charlie. About everything”.

“Let’s watch the sunset”, Charlotte said quietly. She opened her door and got out of the car. A slightly confused Becky then noticed that they were somewhere on the outskirts of the city and they had a great view of the sun setting. She got out and joined Charlotte in leaning against the side of her Audi watching the sun disappear, leaving only fascinating orange-y pink hues behind.

“Pretty, right?”, Charlotte asked.

“Mmm... It always upsets me”, Becky mumbled, wiping the last of her tears away.

“What do you mean? Why would this upset anyone?”

Becky sighed deeply before speaking. “There’s so much beauty in a world that doesn’t deserve it. Look at Miami behind you... That cesspool doesn’t deserve something as pure as this sunset”.

Charlotte looked at Becky... really looked at her. All she saw was a scared little girl – and that left the taller woman feeling sad. Because she realised Becky had demons neither of them could fight.

“You think life imitates art or _vice versa_?”, Becky suddenly asked.

Charlotte sighed internally – upset that she couldn’t say something that would make Becky feel better.

“Art imitates life – always”.

Becky grinned at her answer. She looked up at her companion, inched closer and got on the balls of her feet. “Kiss me, Charlie... make me feel _something_ ”.

Charlotte really wanted to kiss her. Even if it was only to make Becky feel better. But that wasn’t the only reason. She wanted to kiss Becky because she’d been thinking about it for weeks. She wanted to kiss her because she was beautifully blemished. And now she had been given the opportunity.

Charlotte moved closer, completely closing the gap between their bodies. She bent down somewhat, just so that her lips would align with Becky’s. Their kiss was soft, chaste. Becky enjoyed the warmth of Charlotte’s lips and the slight tickle of her breath. She loved how Charlotte’s slender hand had moved from her shoulder to her hip and how the blonde was letting out shallow breaths. Becky had opened her mouth to say something and Charlotte took that as her chance to deepen the kiss. She could taste the other woman now.

“Charlie...”, Becky moaned through their kiss.

Charlotte reluctantly pulled herself off of Becky. “I’m sorry... I guess I just got caught up in the moment”.

“We should do that again sometime”, Becky mused, smiling all the while. Charlotte gave a shy nod.

“Let me take you home”, Becky suggested.

“Okay”. Charlotte said, a little disappointed. She couldn’t dwell on it for too long because a sinking reality had just then dawned on her.

“Becky, you don’t think we’ll make it onto the blogs and gossip sites... right?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do celebs still get hounded by 'razzi these days? I don't think so. 
> 
> Thank you for reading x  
> Comments and kudos are encouraged 
> 
> Also, somewhat of a PSA - if you are dealing with depression or any other mental illness, pls seek the appropriate help.  
> A lot of people go through life with depression and mental illness (ya girl included) - you're not alone. Look after yourself, fam. Always x


	9. The Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Becky and Charlotte's budding romance (?) gets put to the test after the previous night's 'razzi attack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song for this chapter is Bound 2 by Kanye West.

It did make the front page of the internet the next day. And for ten or eleven hours it was all anyone talked about. Charlotte had been woken up by phone calls from Natalya, relatives she hadn’t heard from in years, but Becky had left the most calls. Charlotte decided not to answer any of them and just let the whole thing ride out on its own.

Walking into the break room at work, the blonde was greeted by the smiling faces of Dr Sami Zayn and orthopaedist Dr A.J Styles.

“There she is – the latest cast member of Love And Hip-Hop”, A.J joked, drinking from his cup of morning coffee.

Charlotte took a bottle of water from the fridge and sat down at a table by herself. 

“Give it a rest, Styles”. Charlotte choked back the lump in her throat. “You’re not funny”.

A.J shrugged. “Just sayin’... I checked my Facebook and BAM, Flair’s famous”.

“I have enough shit going on as it is. I don’t need this”. Charlotte’s cell phone vibrated in her coat pocket. She reached into her pocket, checked the screen, saw the caller I.D and decided she did not want to talk to Becky. What followed were numerous text messages.

_Hey..._

_I’m really sorry Charlie_

_Please pick up your phone. I really need to talk to you._

_I know you’re upset right now, and I know I can’t fix it... but please just answer your phone or text me back._

Charlotte contemplated calling Becky back, but decided she still needed some time to process everything.

“You okay, Charlotte?”, Sami asked, noticing how pale has colleague had gotten.

“Y-yeah... Just... I have to do my rounds”. Charlotte made her way out of the break room and noticed the stares from the nurses in the hallways. Her phone vibrated once more, but this time she flat out ignored it.

-

Miz stomped into the living room. “BECKY BECKS! How’s my favourite rapper doing?” He slumped down on the sofa opposite where Becky was sitting.

“You’re in a great fuckin’ mood”, Becky noted as she typed her 100th text message that morning.

“Obviously”, Miz had a cheese eating grin on his face. “You are all over the news. This is exactly the kinda publicity we need before we drop Everybody’s Tough”. Miz gestured to the big man dressed in a black suit standing in the doorway. “By the way, that’s Joe. We call him Samoa Joe, so obviously he’s from Fiji”. Miz laughed at his own joke.

“And why is he here?”, Becky asked with a raised eyebrow.

“You’re a badass now. You need a security detail. All the biggest rappers have bodyguards”.

“I don’t need a babysitter”. Becky shot a look at her manager. 

“Noooo, but you just got mobbed by paparazzi – and Joe can keep those sons of bitches away for ya”.

“I’m not a gangbanger like Apollo or a menace to society like the Ruby and her bandmates”. 

“But that’s the new direction we’re going in, Becks. The studio wants this – and we agreed we’d give it a go”. Miz’s phone rang and he got up to take the call outside on the patio.

“You can have a seat, Joe”, Becky offered. The giant man just shook his head .

“I’m alright here, ma’am”.

Becky snorted. “Don’t call me ma’am – it’s Becky”.

Joe simply nodded.

“You don’t talk a lot, do ya?”

Joe nodded again.

“Well that’s rather refreshing around here”. Becky took a sip of ice tea and send another string of text messages to Charlotte.

Her 27th one garnered a response from the blonde.

_What’s up, Becky? I’m working._

Becky typed back that they needed to meet up, sooner rather than later.

Charlotte agreed and suggested Becky come over to her house at around eight.

-

_‘Seems like hip-hop’s rogue element has a new love interest. Becky Lynch, known for her mega-hit ,Straight Fire, was seen leaving a cocktail bar with a mystery blonde woman yesterday. Lynch dated talent agent Carmella until late January of this year, but in what has now become a much publicised break-up...’_

Charlotte turned off E-news and paced up and down in her living room. Becky was due any minute and she wasn’t sure what to expect from the other woman. On the one hand she knew that none of this was Becky’s fault. But on the other it felt like it have all been prevented. In truth, Charlotte didn’t know how to feel. She just knew she needed to talk to Becky. Her doorbell rang and for a brief moment Charlotte considered not opening. But she’s weak, so she walks over and opened the door in a swift motion.

“Hi”, Becky greeted in a small, uncertain voice. 

“Hey”. She stood out of the way so Becky could enter.

“Look, Charlotte...” Becky said as she followed Charlotte into the living room. “I’m really sorry about all of this. I know it’s not what you signed up for”.

The blonde woman motioned for Becky to sit. 

“I can’t really be mad at you, can I?” Charlotte ran her fingers through her hair. “I guess it’s just a really rude awakening. I knew you were famous... knew people cared about what you got up to... It just didn’t really sink in until last night and this morning”.

Becky played with the laces on her tiger striped Jeremy Scott’s. “I wish it wasn’t like this, Charlie”. The Irish woman looked up and found Charlotte’s green eyes. “I wish I was just...”

But Charlotte had leaned over and placed a gentle hand on Becky’s shoulder. “It is what it is, Becky... We can’t change it”. The blonde inched closer towards Becky and planted an innocent peck on her lips.

“D-do you wanna maybe grab a bite? To eat, I mean”, Becky stammered.

Charlotte retreated and offered Becky her flirtiest smile. “I’ll cook for us”.

“You don’t have to do that – we can order take out or...”

“Becky...I want to cook for _you_ ”. 

-

There was something incredibly serene about watching Charlotte glaze salmon. Becky found herself completely captivated by everything the woman did. She knew she was in love – she’d known for months. But it had become more than that.

Charlotte served dinner. Honey glazed salmon with asparagus and potato gratin. She poured white wine for herself and water for Becky.

“Finally caught on that I don’t drink, ey?” Becky joked as she made herself comfortable by the dining room table.

“Yeah... Sorry it took so long”. Charlotte checked her cutlery, holding the fork up in the light.

Becky couldn’t help but giggle. “It’s spotless, Charlie. Just eat”.

Charlotte scoffed, but joined Becky in enjoying the food she had prepared.

“So how come you don’t drink?”, Charlotte asked in between bites.

Becky mulled the answer over for a few long seconds. “Had a bit of a drinking problem when I first started out. It got worse and worse – up until the point where I would just be wasted the whole damn time. And that wasn’t okay”. Becky wiped her mouth with her napkin. “So I quit”.

“Thanks for sharing that with me”. Charlotte offered a sincere smile.

Dinner went smoothly from there on out. Becky was completely engrossed by all of Charlotte’s stories, completely enchanted by her beauty – her eyes and fanged smile and dimples and...

“Are you even listening to me?”, Charlotte asked at one point.

Becky gave a bashful smirk. “Has anyone ever written a song about you?”, she simply asked.

“What? No... Don’t change the sub...”

“I’m gonna write a song about you”.

-

It was around 22:30 when Becky reluctantly said her goodbyes. She laboured her walk to Charlotte’s front door.

“Thank you for dinner... and for being so cool about the whole E Entertainment crap”, Becky said as she leaned against the frame of the door.

“Don’t mention it – I loved having you here”. Charlotte sighed. “And as for the whole media frenzy thing – I’m sure by tomorrow Kanye would have tweeted something ridiculous that kicks us right outta the news cycle”. She smiled when she saw Becky’s stifled laugh.

They shared a hug that lasted for three, maybe four minutes.

“I don’t wanna leave”, Becky whispered.

“Play your cards right and one day you won’t have to”, Charlotte had uttered in a low, raspy voice that left the Irish rapper a little weak in the knees.

When they finally part. Becky swallowed hard before asking whether or not Charlotte wanted to hang out on the set of her music video the next day.

“I don’t know, Becky... I work a late shift tomorrow and...”

“Hannah Lux Davis is directing it”.

“I could maybe stay for an hour or something”.

Becky rolled her eyes and gave a mischievous little smile. “I’ll come and pick you up ‘round ten in the morning”.

Charlotte watched Becky leave and even though she convinced herself that it was just a force of habit, she knew the actual reason. She knew it was because her feelings for the younger woman had grown so strong that she didn’t want to miss out on a single second with her. Charlotte was falling. So hard and so fast that it had become an unsettling thought. So she compartmentalized it – stored it somewhere far away.

Because love, at this stage at least, would be illogical. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided on shorter chapters (which makes for an easier read) 
> 
> I've been getting the nicest comments on this story recently and they honestly make my day, so thank you guys x


	10. Nominations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Becky is hard at work developing her new sound and Charlotte... well, she's alientating even more people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, halfway through x
> 
> Sorry this took so long - life and stuff. 
> 
> Song for the chapter is "I Don't Wanna Do This Anymore" by XXXTENTACION (RIP)

Charlotte’s life slowly returned to normal over the next few weeks.

Nobody seemed to care about Becky Lynch and her ‘mystery blonde’ anymore. She didn’t go on fun daytrips to music video sets anymore or rub shoulders with famous directors and producers. She was just regular Charlotte – and it didn’t bother at all. Because even regular Charlotte still had Becky Lynch in her life.

Becky called her every single night. She asked about her day, listened to her – sometimes they would spend hours talking about absolutely nothing. Why cats were better than dogs or why autumn was better than spring. They didn’t go out much, partly because Becky wanted to keep her private life out of the news, but also because the rapper had been busy in the studio. There were times when Becky would visit Charlotte or invite the blonde to the recording studio – and the hours they spent together had been amazing. 

Charlotte couldn’t remember a time when she was happier. And that scared her.

-

“Did you have a nice Thanksgiving?”, Natalya asked as she and Charlotte made their way to the car. The two were dead after an intense spinning class. 

“Yeah... I mean, it was just me and my father. But it was nice to spend time with him. You know he’s never around”. Charlotte opened the door and slid into the passenger seat.

“You mean to tell me you didn’t spend time with Becky?”, Natalya asked once she got in her car.

Charlotte shrugged. “I told her I wanted to be with my dad and being a mature adult, she totally understood”.

“But don’t you think it’s weird that she didn’t mind? Or that you guys never go out and do stuff?”

Charlotte perked up in her seat. She turned so she could face her best friend. “What are you getting at?”

“Nothing... It’s just... strange”.

“Becky just doesn’t want everyone in her business, okay? I mean, how would you feel if people were constantly harassing you and dissecting your relationships on the internet? It’s stressful”. Charlotte shook her head, letting out a humourless chuckle. “And stress along with depression is a very dangerous...”

She stopped when she realized that she had exposed a secret that wasn’t hers to tell.   
Natalya caught on – Charlotte could tell by how her face changed.

“Depressed?”

Charlotte could only nod.

“Did she tell you herself?”

Charlotte lowered her head. “Can we not talk about this? I don’t like discussing Becky with just anyone”.

The other woman scoffed. “So now I’m just anyone? Thanks for that”, she added sardonically.

Neither one spoke for the remainder of the ride.

-

“Nope! That ain’t gon' work, Becks”, Truth called out. He motioned for Becky to take off her headphones and the ginger haired woman obliged.

“What’s wrong now?”, she asked with a sigh.

“It was alright, but I need to see more energy, more fire”.

Becky crossed her arms and had a nasty scowl on her face. “I always bring the fire – what are you on about?”

Peyton, who was chilling on sofa with Billie, approached the booth. “Big Dick Energy – that’s what you’re missing”.

“Big dick what?”, Becky asked, switching her gaze from Peyton to R-Truth.

“Big. Dick. Energy. A fuckload of confidence you can’t help but exude”, the Australian woman says with a wicked grin. “If you have BDE the whole world just became your bitch and you’re... I don’t know... the man or something”.

Becky nodded as if she understood. Then she had an epiphany.

“Can we maybe drop the reverb on that beat and add in a little more strings? I want it to almost have a bluegrass undertone”.

Truth gave a thumbs-up and started making the changes to the beat. Becky then put her headphones back on. She bobbed her head to the sounds, loosened her shoulders a bit and winked at Peyton.

* **I think I’m the best Irish poet since Oscar Wilde**

  
**And to live is pretty rare once you get on my bad side**

  
**And the ‘razzi taking pictures but I aint got no bad side**

  
**Never been a bitch, yall just caught me at a bad time**

  
**Got all this ice on but I never skate – ain’t Tonya**

  
**No alter egos, it’s just the new persona.**

  
**Y’all think ‘vacation’ mean Daytona**

  
**Things are about to get messy like this was Barcelona.**

  
**I don’t deal with exes – this ain’t no Scott and Ramona.**

  
**So if you got a problem with me, say it to my face**

  
**The bitch ain’t no lawyer but she always on my case**

  
**Okay, she made one song now she think she run the town**

  
**But I guess everyone’s tough until the man comes around***  
-  
Becky smiled as she watched Peyton, Billie and Mandy dance to her latest song. The Irish woman loved it as well and couldn’t wait to release it as the second single. The first one had done reasonably well, but she had even more faith in her latest offering.

“This is hot, Becks”, Charlotte whispered in Becky’s ear.

Becky invited her over – to listen to the new song and because it was the first of December, which meant that US Rap Award nominations would be announced. The Irish rapper was touted as being a favourite to receive nominations for best touring artist and best live rap performance. It seemed only right to invite Charlotte.

“Thanks, Charlie. It’s all about the BDE”. Becky chuckled and wrapped an arm around Charlotte. The blonde raised an eyebrow and Becky thought she looked so cute that she wanted to lean in and just kiss her.

“So you have a big dick?”, she asked shamelessly.

Becky’s response had been equally brash when she muttered “Wouldn’t you like to know”.

But their flirting was cut short by Miz’s arrival. Dressed in his usual suit and tie and with sunglasses on, he waltzed right in like he owned the place.

“There’s my girl! Loved that new track you sent me, Becks. Better news, studio loved it as well”. He poured himself a double whiskey. “And even better news – contact of mine confirmed your two USRA nominations so congratulations are in order”.

“Why the hell would you tell me that? We were all gonna watch the ceremony”, Becky said, deeply frustrated by her manager and his big mouth.

“Oh shit – sorry about that. But hey, saves you a fuckload of suspense, am I right?” He downed the alcohol and poured another.

“You’re an idiot”, Mandy said and threw a decorative pillow at Miz. The manager threw the pillow back and soon enough, a full-on pillow fight ensued – Peyton and Billie never ones to shy away from doing the absolutely ridiculous.

Becky sighed and pulled at Charlotte’s arm. “Screw these people, come with me”.

“But the nominations and the...”  
“Miz just ruined that so...” Becky loosened her grip on Charlotte’s arm slightly. “...we can do something else now. And since you’ve never been in my room...”

Charlotte pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. “We’re taking things slow...”

“I’m not trying to seduce you – I just wanna show you something”, somewhere along the line a smile crept in on Becky’s face. “So are you coming or not?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't decide if Miz is a great manager or the worst one ever. 
> 
> Drop some comments if you're into that sorta thing - they're always nice to read.


	11. An Important Question

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Becky has an important question to ask Charlotte.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm getting back in a good groove with this. Regular updates issa thing now. 
> 
> Song for the chapter? Keep In Touch by Tory Lanez ft. Bryson Tiller x

If a bedroom was supposed to reveal something about the inner psyche of the person inhabiting it, Becky’s room did the opposite of that.

It felt cold, empty, as if no one actually lived there. Everything was just shades of white and a very delicate pale blue.

“So this is my room”, Becky said as she closed the door behind her. “Pretty minimal, as you can see. I don’t spend a lot of time here to be honest”. She motioned for Charlotte to sit down on the edge of the bed. The blonde obliged and watched on as Becky joined her.

“I like it. It’s not what I expected, but you always find a way to surprise me”. Charlotte noticed Becky’s timid smile, so she leaned in and kissed the gently on the lips. To Charlotte’s surprise however, Becky pulled away.

“Is... is something wrong?”, the blonde questioned, eyes immediately searching for Becky’s.

“No, not at all – I just... have a lot on my mind tonight”.

Charlotte retreated. “I’m sorry then”.

“No, don’t be. Any other day I’d...” Becky gave half a smile. “...be all over that”. She got back on her feet and rested her hands on her hips. “But I brought you here for a reason, didn’t I?”

Charlotte was still feeling the effects of being rejected by the Irish woman, but she managed a polite smile and nod.

“I think you’re gonna enjoy this”, Becky said as she dropped down on her knees. She reached underneath the bed and brought forth a shoebox which she placed on the bed next to Charlotte. 

“This is it”, Becky announced happily. “Open it”. She was practically beaming.

Charlotte hesitantly reached for the box. Once she opened it, she couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. The old Air Jordan box Becky had retrieved was filled with all sorts of mementoes – baby pictures of a strawberry blonde toddler smiling happily at the camera. There were old letters and cassette tapes and postcards.

“This is... my life”, Becky said with a sigh. Still crouching by the foot of the bed, Becky reached for one of the letters. She smiled as her eyes scanned over the page. “I wrote this when I was ten. I broke my mother’s favourite vase and I was so sure she was gonna yell at me that I decided to run away. I wrote this letter and left it by the shards”. Becky chuckled at the memory. 

“This was taken in London”, she noted, handing over a picture of her teenage self to Charlotte. “I used to think wearing my bandannas like Tupac was cool – clearly I was a misguided youth”.

Charlotte bit at her lower lip to keep from laughing. She traced her finger along the image. “You look like a dork”.

Becky nodded. “I can’t argue with that”.

They spent half an hour, maybe more, looking through all the pictures and letters and notes. In between all the laughter and reminiscing, they found themselves laying down on Becky’s bed.

“Thanks for sharing this with me, Becky”, Charlotte said, suddenly sounding very serious. She shifted from lying on her stomach to lying on her side. 

“I guess I wanted to show you a side of myself no one else gets to see. Plus, I couldn't really ask you to be my girlfriend without sharing embarrassing baby photos with you first, right?”

Charlotte’s green eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.“Wait...you... you’re asking me to be your girlfriend?”, Charlotte perked up and sat with legs crossed.

“Probably should have done it in a more romantic way, but yeah.... I want you to be my girlfriend. More importantly though, I really wanna be _your_ girlfriend”. Becky got upright, too. She grabbed hold of the other woman’s hands. “Please say yes”. 

Charlotte considered a lot of things in just a few short seconds. 

She knew she cared about Becky (she might even love her), but she also knew heartbreak. She knew about putting time and effort into a relationship that just wouldn’t work. And of course, she was unsure of whether she could cope with the pressure of dating someone famous. Was she ready to be ‘Becky Lynch’s Girlfriend’? How could she be when there were still elements of Becky’s life that worried her?

But then she looked at the woman sitting in front of her.

“Yes – yes I’ll be your girlfriend”. Charlotte felt unusually calm after that. It felt, in that moment at least, like she made the right choice. Becky enveloping her in a warm embrace made her choice feel like the right one, too.

“Fuck yes!”, Becky uttered before she could stop herself.

“Damn, no one’s ever been this excited to date me before”, Charlotte said with a chuckle.

“Don’t they know how amazing you are?”, Becky asked genuinely taken aback. “Cos you are”.

-

Two weeks had passed since Becky asked Charlotte to be her girlfriend.

In those two weeks Becky released her latest single and it had garnered favourable reviews from critics, but more importantly, it got a high approval rating from the streets. The success of the track meant Becky was out doing live performances all over the country, appearing on all the big TV shows and making the pages of all the noteworthy blogs.

It also meant she was away a lot. 

Charlotte knew she was effectively sharing Becky with the rest of the world – and most days that didn’t really bother her. But now she missed her. It was the holidays, and somehow Becky had become her only friend. She was still mad at Sasha and she hadn’t seen Natalya since their fallout two weeks ago. The only other person she had was her dad. So, she arranged for the two to have dinner. Partly because she did miss the old guy, but also because she was tired of another night alone, waiting for Becky to pop up on a late night talk show.

“So you’re still seeing that redhead rapper, huh? How’s she doing?”, Ric asked in between bites.

“She’s... good. I mean, she sounded fine the last time we spoke”.

“And when was that?”

Charlotte rolled her eyes at her father. “Yesterday morning. And before you say anything, she’s not ignoring me – she’s just really busy”.

Ric simply shrugged.

They ate in silence for a while. Charlotte wasn’t sure what to say – how to respond. She knew her dad wanted what was best for her, and even though she felt like Becky was, it would take something big to convince her father.

“So when do I get to meet her?”

Charlotte nearly choked on a spoonful of butternut squash soup. “What?”, she asked, taking a sip of water to keep from coughing.

“I’m just saying – you two seem to be serious about each other. I’d just like to meet the woman my daughter is dating. I googled her, you know. Just wanted to size her up for myself before I believe all that crap on the internet”. 

“We aren’t there yet, Dad. We’re just... It’s too soon to start meeting parents”.

“Alright, alright. I was just wondering, that’s all”.

“You’ll meet her when the time is right”, Charlotte said with a shrug. 

“You’re right, princess. You know I worry about you sometimes and now... with you dating again... I just want you to be happy”. Ric lowered his head, shaking it a few times. “I just wanna see you get treated right. And this Becky, she talks a lot it seems – but she never mentions you and that makes me...”

“Dad, please”. Charlotte was considerably agitated now. “Can we just change the subject?”

Ric gave a small nod. “If you insist”.

-

Charlotte couldn’t fall asleep that night. For some reason everything her father said kept replaying in her head. In truth, she didn’t know how to feel – was she upset that her father wasn’t more supportive? Maybe she was just overreacting. Was she upset because she missed her girlfriend? She decided that this was becoming too teenage angsty, so she grabbed her phone and called Becky.

It rang for half a minute before a half-asleep, groggy Becky answered.

“Hey, Char”.

Charlotte instantly regretted making the call. Of course Becky would be asleep – it was two in the morning.

“Hi... I’m sorry if my call woke you up”.

“That’s alright – love hearing your voice. If I close my eyes I can even pretend you’re right here, next to me”.

 _Why did she have to be this adorable_? Charlotte wondered. “Save the charm offensive for the talk show hosts”, she joked.

“I always keep a little sugar reserved for my number one girl. Now what’s the matter, love?”

The blonde woman sighed. Of course she couldn’t hide a single thing from Becky.

“When are you coming back? I miss you”.

Becky gave a soft chuckle on the other side. “Tomorrow – around midday”.

“And can we do something fun when you’re back home?” Charlotte knew she risked sounding like a total spoiled brat, but she needed her woman back with her.

“Okay – sure, love. First I need to meet with my stylist to discuss my look for the USR Awards”.

“Oh yeah , that’s coming up – totally forgot”.

Becky hummed. “I was asked to perform as well”.

“Hey that’s great!”, Charlotte noted excitedly. “You excited?”

“Yeah... Performing live is always fun”, Becky conceded, yawning as she spoke. “And I have a little beach house in Malibu that I never get to go to. You would love it, Charlie. The view of the ocean from the lounge is just... beautiful”, she mused.

“Sounds it”, Charlotte murmured. 

Becky yawned again. “Listen, love, we both need to get some sleep. I’ll swing by once I get there, ‘kay?”

“Alright... G’night then”. 

Charlotte stayed on the line long after Becky had hung up. Then she sighed into her pillow. 

_What is this woman doing to me?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, the fluff level in this was high, even for me. 
> 
> As always, kudos and comments are encouraged.


	12. Awards Pt 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the cracks start to show in Becky and Charlotte's seemingly perfect relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, things have been going so well for the girls lately so now I'm being mean. 
> 
> Song for the chapter is Ride Dolo by Shane Eagle. 
> 
> Enjoy x

“It’s this season’s hottest colour. The top designers all had canary yellow in their collections”, Alicia Fox, stylist to the rich and famous and the cause of Becky’s pulsating migraine, reasoned. She gestured to the yellow gown adorned with mint green embroidery by the neckline.

“I don’t care if it’s the hottest colour of the century. It’s horrible and I refuse to wear it”.

“It’s _Armani Prive_ ”.

“It’s a hot mess”. Becky got up from the chair and walked over to Alicia. “There’s gotta be something else. Maybe not yellow – and good”.

Alicia thought for a moment and snapped her fingers and exclaimed “I got it! There is this black A-line Givenchy dress that would look amazing on you”. 

“Great. Let’s see it”, Mandy said as she rose up from her seat. 

Alicia tapped her foot against the wooden floor. “You can’t. It’s at my other studio in London – but I could have it flown in”.

“Neat”, Becky said as she made her way to the door. “Send some pictures of it to Mandy asap and make sure you’re in Los Angeles by Saturday morning”.

Alicia made a salute gesture. “You got it, Captain”.

-

Becky tried to hide the ridiculously large bouquet of red roses and the stuffed teddy behind her back, but she had to knock on the door and she needed at least one hand for that. She bit down on the teddy bear’s ear and used her now free left hand to knock.

Charlotte, looking like an absolute vision, couldn’t contain her smile as she opened the door.

“What in the world is all...”

“Here you go, woman. Roses...” Becky held the bouquet out. “... to brighten up your day”. Then she held up the plushy toy by its little bear arms and wiggled it around a little. “And this is Bear-ky Lynch – you can cuddle him when I’m not around”.

“You’re the fucking cutest”. Charlotte leaned over to place a tender peck on her girlfriend’s cheek.

-

With the roses in a vase and the teddy bear resting by Charlotte’s pillow, the couple could finally settle down on the couch. Under the warmth of a purple blanket, the two spend the rest of the early evening exchanging shy kisses. Of course, as the evening went on, their kisses become hungrier, more impassioned, sloppier and sexier. It got to the point where Charlotte could feel Becky’s hand underneath her shirt, faintly brushing against her flat stomach. The Irish woman’s fingers unhurriedly moved up her sternum, toying with the lace of Charlotte’s bra. But then Becky’s hand abruptly slid back down Charlotte’s torso and then from underneath her slouchy soft flannel shirt.

“Sorry about that – I got a little too handsy there”, Becky joked, blushing a little.

Charlotte found it hard to hide her disappointment. She already missed Becky’s touch. But she knew the other woman was just being respectful of her. It honestly warmed her heart when Becky did things like that. Soft, sweet things that made Charlotte feel wanted and loved.

“It’s okay... I didn’t mind”, the blonde whispered. “Didn’t mind at all”.

“I’ll keep that in mind for next time”, Becky said with a mischievous smile adorning her features. She tracked her index finger along Charlotte’s jaw. “I can’t believe I have to leave again”.

Charlotte gave a sulky pout. “You could stay. We could order pizza and binge Chilling Adventures of Sabrina”.

Becky smiled, but shook her head. “Of course I’ll stay here with you. I meant this weekend. I’m off to L.A – flying out there this Friday and then I come back on Tuesday ‘cos I’m scheduled to appear on a few shows”.

Charlotte shifted up under the blanket and crossed her arms, tentatively looking at Becky. “Oh, I just thought... Never mind”.

“What’s wrong, love?”, Becky queried, gnawing at her bottom lip.

“It’s nothing...” Charlotte sighed. “I just thought... that you’d want me to go with you”.

Becky nodded slowly. 

“I mean, you said you wanted me to see the view of the Pacific from your place... But I was probably wrong to assume”. Charlotte got up from the couch and made her way to the kitchen. Becky was quick to follow her. 

“Charlie, please, don’t be mad”. She grabbed hold of the blonde’s arm.

“I’m not mad, Becky”. She poured herself a glass of red wine. “We don’t have to talk about it anymore”, she said and nearly emptied the glass in one sip.

Becky watched as Charlotte refilled the wine glass. “I just didn’t want to expose you to that. Trust me, this life is not all it’s cracked up to be”.

“Huh”, Charlotte uttered and stared out in front of her. “So that’s how it’s gonna be? You’re just gonna hide me from the world?”

Becky ran her fingers through her ginger mane, something she always did when she was frustrated. “I’m NOT hiding you – I’m protecting you”. She grabbed Charlotte by the shoulders. “You probably won’t understand it right away, but trust me, love, this is for the best”.

Charlotte swallowed down the lump in her throat and gave a quick nod. “I’m sorry... it’s just... you’ve been away. And everyone keeps asking why you never talk about me or...”, Charlotte massaged her temple. “I’m being silly – I’m sorry, Becky”.

“Hey, come here”, the Irish woman pulled her girl in for a hug. “You’re not silly”. She placed a kiss on Charlotte’s cheek. “You’re cute. And you’re right – I should show you off”. Becky reached into her jeans’ pocket and took out her cell phone.

“Wait – what are you doing?”, Charlotte asked, conspicuously raising an eyebrow.

Becky held the phone up. “Smile for the camera”.

Charlotte let out a raspy chuckle. “A selfie? Seriously?”

Becky gave an eager nod. “For my Instagram”. 

She put an arm around Charlotte’s waist, got on the tips of her toes and kissed her girl on the cheek. After two snaps, she fondly stared at the photos. “Beautiful”.

After showing Charlotte the pictures and getting her nod of approval, Becky vows to put it on Instagram.

The rest of their evening goes smoothly. They order pizza, listen to music – they did the sort of things Charlotte would usually do all by herself. But she wasn’t alone anymore – she had a wonderful, caring and thoughtful girlfriend who made her incredibly happy. It was everything she wanted – it was perfect.

-

“Okay! So if you’ve just tuned in to Trap Central Live, you’ve already missed exclusive red carpet interviews with some of the BIGGEST names in hip hop, but fear not – we got Straight Fire herself. Yes I am talking about Becky Lynch. Becky, how’re you feeling tonight?” Nia Jax, TCL host, motor mouth and all round internet busybody held the microphone out at Becky.

“Yeah, Nia, I’m doing alright”, she said cheerfully. 

“Oh come on, Becks! Alright? Your latest single The Man debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, you’re breaking all the streaming records and you’re on the Forbes’ list for highest earners in rap for 2018. You’re doing more than ‘alright’”.

“Well, I’m never one to flex too hard, you know? I have enough haters as it is”.

Nia laughed – a clearly rehearsed and phoney laugh. “But honestly though, B. The one thing everyone’s one talking about is the new lady in your life. We don’t know anything about her! You posted a picture of you two on Friday and we’ve all been buzzing about The Man’s bae ever since. We need to know more”.

Becky gave a nervous chuckle. She was expecting a question like this. Everyone was. Miz gave her a list of potential questions she might be asked with answers that he and the people at the label were comfortable with. 

Becky scanned the list, but there was no way in hell she would be using any of their answers. It was bullshit – and she wasn’t about to bullshit any of her fans.

“Well, Nia, that picture I posted... it was to show off my stunning girlfriend whose name is Charlotte”.

“Oooh, and where is the lovely Charlotte tonight?

Becky shrugged. “She’s too busy saving lives to be here tonight”.

Nia seemed impressed. “Oh snap – are we talking doctor?”

The Irish rapper nodded keenly. “But that’s that on that I’m afraid”.

“Mmm-hmm... Well, before we let you I gotta ask: Naomi is the favourite to win Best New Artist – an award you won four years ago. What are your thoughts on that?

Becky let a dry chuckle and waved at a fan who had been calling her name all through her interview. She turned her attention back to Nia. “How ‘bout you punch me right in the face, Nia? It’d be a lot more pleasant than answering that question”.

-

“What the hell was that?!”

“Calm down, Miz, we’re rappers – it’s what we do”.

Miz took off his sunglasses and threw them on the coffee table in Becky’s dressing room. “You dissed Naomi and you spoke about Charlotte – two things you shouldn’t have done”.

Becky waved off her make-up artist and turned her attention to her furious manager. “Relax, will ya? Are you afraid? Of Naomi? Carmella? They’re idiots”.

“BECKY! You have to listen to me – you can’t do shit like that! The label...”

“The label can kiss my arse”. Becky said and blew Miz a kiss. She turned around as she made her way through the door. “Besides... it’s what they wanted, wasn’t it? Now if you would excuse me – I have a show to steal 


	13. Awards Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Becky comes face to face with Naomi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eeeekk! I'm back and I brought some drama with me. 
> 
> Song for the chapter is Composure by Supa Mega aka AKA

“She sounds... _different_ ”, Billie noted.

Peyton gave a quick nod. “Yeah, I mean, she’s changing shit up. Besides, the crowd’s totally into it”.

“Well, come rain or shine they’ll always love Becky”, Billie conceded and directed her attention back to the stage where Becky was performing.

“It’s Becky – she’s awesome”, Peyton mused, staring starry-eyed at Becky on stage.

“Hmm...”

“What?”

Billie crossed her arms and gave a small pout. “You into Becky now or something?”

Peyton scoffed. “Are you kidding? Becky’s like... our sister... or our pimp or something. I would never shag her... again”.

Billie stifled a laugh. “Same. Hey, I’m gonna run to the restroom – be right back, ‘kay love?”

Peyton shot her a look. “You just gonna use the ladies’ room or...”

“Oh screw you! I’m just gonna take a wiz”, Billie argued and strutted off.

-

Becky handed her microphone to one of the stagehands and found Truth backstage, jumping excitedly.

“There she is! Girl you done did amazing. Everybody loved it, man”. The man clad in all black hugged the Irish rapper and kissed her atop her fiery mane. “I’m so proud of you”.

Becky chuckled and hugged Truth back. “You made it happen”.

“Nah, that was all you”.

“Enough of this mushy crap. I’m gonna go freshen up and join y’all in a minute, okay?” Becky gave Truth a pat on the shoulder and walked off to her dressing room. As she trotted off, she heard one of the presenters announce Naomi as the winner for Best New Artist. She rolled her eyes and kept walking. She only stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder, slightly pulling her back.

“Don’t freak out, love, it’s just me”.

Becky recognized the voice almost instantly.

“Paige... what are you doing here?”, she asked once she turned around and stood face to face with the English woman.

“The label sends out delegates – I’m one of the more aesthetically pleasing staffers they have so...” Paige shrugged and then laughed some. “You were so great out there. Love this new energy – this fire and desire – from you”.

Becky awkwardly scratched the back of her neck. “Thanks, Paige. It means... a lot actually”. This surprised Becky – she was never one to pay too much mind to the suits. But Paige wasn’t a suit. She was just a regular girl busting ass, working for a money hungry company who would do anything to get the top spots on all the charts. She was like Becky in a lot of ways.

Paige bit at her lip and nodded. “I’ll always have your back, don’t worry about it”. She gently placed her hand on Becky’s exposed bicep. “I see Charlotte didn’t come with. What’s wrong, she not into all the glitz and glam?”

“Err, she... she’s busy... and she... I wanted...”

Paige placed a finger on Becky’s lip. “I get it. Some people just aren’t cut out for this life”. Paige sighed and retracted her finger, lingering slightly as she traced along the rapper’s chin. “People like us need to stick together”. She gave an enticing wink and sauntered off.

Becky watched her until she disappeared behind a corner, mauling a few things over in her head. She didn’t have much time to think everything through because Mandy rushed over.

“Why aren’t you dressed yet? Your category’s up next”, she quipped, opening the dressing room door.

“I spoke to Truth and Paige...”, Becky said, entering the room. She yanked off her slouchy tank-top and put on a white Planned Parenthood t-shirt.

Mandy handed her a bottle of Evian. “I have your thank-you speech ready. I think we need to go through it one more time just to be safe”.

Becky rolled her eyes and took a huge glug of water. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “I talk for a living – I think I can handle a little speech. And that’s if I win. I might not”.

Mandy fixed Becky’s hair a little then proceeded to massage the woman’s shoulders.

“You’re the bookies’ favourite pick so...”

Becky turned around to face her slightly shorter assistant. “I’ve never lost one of these...” she looked down as she spoke. “... I might lose it this time”.

Mandy nodded. “Possibly. But let’s stay positive”, the blonde joked and pulled her friend in for a hug. “Win or lose – we’re still going out after this”. Mandy let go of Becky and stood with her hands on her hips. “Why are you still here? Go on – join Truth and Miz. I still need to finish some stuff up here”.

Becky gave a quick salute. “Got it, chief”.

-

“What do I do with these?”, Becky asked, holding both of her awards up.

“I’ll go put ‘em in the car”, Mandy said and took the two trophies from her boss. Before she could walk off, she was held back by Joe.

“This is a dodgy area, miss, I better take ‘em”, the burly man said. Mandy rolled her eyes but relented.

“He’s scary”, Billie noted as she and the rest of the girls watched Joe walk away.

“He serves a purpose”, Becky joked. “I hope this isn’t one of those stuck-up, Hollywood parties”.

“It’s all _Cristal_ and talking about endorsement deals”, Peyton said as she looked around the club.

“I’m only here because you bitches wanted to party”, Becky said with a shrug. “If I had my way, I’d be home with Charlotte, baking cookies or something”.

 Billie cringed. “D’you even bake?”

Becky smiled as she shook her head. “No, but that’s the beauty of it. We could if we wanted to”.

“Fuck, you really love her”, Billie stated slightly bemused.

Becky was just about to say something – something sweet and sappy that would make the girls giggle and call her a ‘punk ass bitch’. And she wouldn’t have cared one bit. She wanted everyone to know just how much she loved her girlfriend.

But she was distracted by the emergence of two rather familiar faces she wasn’t exactly keen to see. Becky felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Whatever you do, don’t get triggered”, Peyton said.

“I’ll do whatever I damn well please”, Becky muttered, loosening her shoulders a little. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen with Naomi and Carmella, but she sure was gonna be ready.

“Well damn, if it ain’t Straight Fire herself... How you doin’, Becky? You good? You going to your AA meetings like a good little girl?”

Becky had a sardonic grin on her face. She crossed her arms and took a few steps forward. “Naomi! I’m doing a lot better than your album sales”.

Naomi smiled knowingly. “I just won three USRAs – I think I’m doing alright”.

“Ah yes. That reminds me – I simply must send flowers to your ghost writers. They worked so hard to make you sound like an actual human and not an underdeveloped android”.

“I sound a lot better than you, you pathetic bitch”.

Becky grinned, turned to face Mandy and said: “Notice how she just doesn’t comment on the ghostwriter thing?”

Naomi opened her mouth to say something, but before she could utter a single syllable, Carmella was on hand.

“Can you both just calm down? This is not the time or place”. 

Becky took a step back and examined her ex-girlfriend who she hadn’t seen face to face for five , maybe six months.

She looks different, Becky thought. Her hair was dark – almost burgundy – now. Somehow it brought out her eyes more.

“I was just saying hello to Becks, I mean, she’s one of my idols”. Naomi had a wicked grin on her face, but this was met by Becky’s vicious snarl.

“What? Not even a hello?”, Becky asked Carmella. “You act like you don’t know, strange, ‘cos you definitely knew me when you were telling this bitch about my private business”.

Carmella looked down at her leopard print stilettos. “It’s... not what you think, Beck”.

“Oh really? ‘Cos the way I see it... Never mind – your miserable plot to destroy me failed. In fact I’ve never been happier”. 

“Oh, did the shrink up your Xanax intake? That explains why you’re in such high spirits”. Naomi laughed at her own joke. 

Mandy noticed Becky balling her fists and she grabbed the ginger woman’s arm, trying to pull her back a little.

“Say something else, I swear to God”, Becky said in a sort of hushed but fiercely intimidating manner.

Naomi shook her head and threw her hands up in supposed surrender.

“Let’s get out of here, Becky”, Peyton said and tugged at the hem of Becky’s hoodie.

Becky shot a look in Peyton’s direction, but followed the leggy raven haired woman anyway. Mandy and Billie flanked Becky on the other side. They had garnered a few spectators, but Becky looked straight ahead. She needed to get to her hotel room, needed to calm down.

“Oh, before I forget – congratulations on the new relationship. Saw the picture on Insta. I didn’t know you were into dudes, but hey...”

And that was it.

Becky sped off after Naomi, jumped right on her and in a sort of mixed martial arts style, took the other woman down.

“Shut up, you bitch! I’ll slap the head off ya”. Becky continued throwing punches at Naomi. The other rapper tried the push the Irish woman off, only halfway successful because Becky could still hit her.

“Jesus, Becky! Get off of her!”, Carmella screeched.

“What’s the matter, Becks? Hit a nerve there?” Naomi chuckled some, ducking and dodging to avoid Becky’s fists. “The pussy taste good at least?”

“You shut up about her! I’ll snap your fuckin’ fingers off one by one, you fucking cunt”.

“Call down, miss Lynch!” Joe stepped up and grabbed Becky from atop Naomi. Billie and Peyton had failed when they tried to stop Becky. The ginger haired woman decided she would not pick a fight with her big, Samoan bodyguard – so she threw her hands up and took a few steps back.

“You’re fucking insane. And I’m so glad everybody here got to see just what a psycho bitch you really are”, Naomi said as she got up from the floor, waving away Carmella who had reached down to help her.

 Everyone in the club had stood and watched the whole ordeal unfold. Many had their phones out and Becky knew this would end up online.

“Come on, Becks – let’s get out of here”, Billie practically begged.

“Go on then, bitch – ‘fore I call the cops”. Naomi stepped forward as she said this, only to be held back by Carmella.

Becky gave a resentful half smirk before saying: “Wipe the blood off your face. You look ridiculous”.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? Do we all hate Naomi now?


	14. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Becky deals with the repercussions of the nightclub melee and Charlotte finally opens up about her past. 
> 
> Song for the chapter is Don't by Bryson Tiller

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, it's gonna get emotional from here on out. Slight content warning but I've tried my best to write around the subject.

Becky could deal with the media frenzy that spawned from her attacking Naomi in a nightclub. She could deal with the label chastising her, Miz, Joe and everyone else in her circle. She didn’t even mind the tweets from fans and haters alike, congratulating and criticising her.

The only thing she just couldn’t deal with was Charlotte ignoring her.

It started that night of the now infamous ‘Club Hollywood Brawl.

They were on their way out of the club when Becky and Mandy’s phones started ringing. Becky blatantly ignored all the calls, knowing they were from Miz. And she was not in the mood to deal with a pissed off Miz.

She needed to be alone. Alone with her thoughts and her conflicting emotions. Because on the one hand she was glad she could shut Naomi up, glad that she could defend her woman from such a vulgar attack made in her absence no less. But on the other hand, she knew she had opened the floodgates to a whole new world of bullshit. A lot of people had it in for her now – maybe even more than before. The executives at the label would be pissed and of course, Naomi’s accusations on that diss track would resurface.

_Becky Lynch is a psycho bitch. Becky Lynch has anger issues. Becky Lynch is a danger to society._

Sitting in the backseat, staring out the window and contemplating her next move, Becky inwardly asked herself a simple question: was it worth it?

 _Probably_.

-

 Charlotte didn’t answer the first time Becky called and the Irish woman figured her girlfriend was most likely asleep. 

When she didn’t answer the next morning and when she didn’t even read Becky’s ensuing texts, the redhead knew something was wrong. She made Mandy cancel all her TV appearances and get her on the first flight back to Miami. She successfully dodged the paparazzi when she landed. Mandy called a cab service which took them to Becky’s beach house.   

“So, what’s the plan?”, Mandy asked as she watched Becky pace up and down in the living room.

“I need to go see her. I mean, I need to find out why she’s ignoring me”.

“Becky...”, Mandy sighed. “... think we both know why she’s ignoring you. She obviously saw the video and now she’s freaked out. She’s never seen that side of you”.

Becky shook her head, dismissing everything Mandy had said. “She knows me. She knows I’m not like that”. She grabbed her keys from the coffee table. “She _has_ to talk to me”.

-

Becky knocked on Charlotte’s door for half a minute before it swung open. To her surprise she stood face to face with Sasha Banks. Scratching the back of her neck (as she always did when she was nervous) she gave half a smile. 

“Hi there... Is uh, Charlotte home?” she all but croaked out.

Sasha’s face remained indifferent. “She doesn’t wanna see you. I think you should go”.

“Look...”

“No you ‘look’. You’ve caused enough drama as it is – Charlotte does not want to see you right now”. Sasha stepped onto the porch and closed the door behind her. “I knew I was right about you – you destroy everything you touch”.

Becky took a step back. “You don’t even know me. You met me once”.

Sasha crossed her arms, her features formed a frown. “I know your type. You’re a selfish bitch who’s ruining my best friend’s life”. 

Becky gave a mirthless chuckle. “You don’t know what you’re talking about – I... I care deeply about Charlotte. I would never hurt her”.

“Care deeply about her, huh? Tell me, why do you think she’s so upset right now?”

Becky looked down at her shoes. “I...I don’t... Because she... she saw the video?”

Sasha nodded , clearing feigning sympathy. “Get lost, Lynch”.

Becky squared her shoulders. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m not leaving until I see her”.

“You’re not coming in here”.

“Then she’s coming out”, Becky said and cupped her hands around her mouth before yelling, “Charlie! Babe, come out here please! I really need to see you!”

Sasha pushed the Irish woman away. “I will call the cops on you”.

Becky swatted Sasha’s hands away. “All I wanna do is talk to her. That’s it. And I know she wants to see me – it’s just... _she_ doesn’t know it yet”. Becky could feel the tears welling up in her eyes and she struggled to swallow down the lump in her throat. “If you... if you cared about her, you’d let her see me. It’s breaking her heart, I know it is”.

“You’re what’s breaking her heart, Becky. And the shittiest part is that you still think it’s all about you”.

Becky went home after that. There wasn’t much she could do – Sasha played gatekeeper and would not let her see Charlotte. And Charlotte was still ignoring all of her calls and texts.

The following day was the 24th of December and everyone was gone. 

Mandy went to New York to spend Christmas with her family, Peyton and Billie travelled to Sydney and wouldn’t be back until the new year, even Truth was away on holiday with his family. Becky had no idea where Miz was – they weren’t exactly on speaking terms. She understood his anger – she had given him a lot of work and tarnished both their reputations.

Becky was alone.

Sure, she could go back to Ireland, but she wasn’t exactly keen on spending time with her mother after the whole Naomi fiasco. Because she knew her mom. Knew what her mom would say – how disappointed her mom was (if her calls were anything to go by).

Around 23:30 Becky sat on the couch, eyes fixed on the bottle of whiskey in front of her. She dug out the liquor that was stashed away in the pantry, grabbed a glass from the cabinet and now all she had to do was give in to her own inherent weakness and pour herself a drink.

_Maybe then I’d feel better. Since the crying’s not helping. Since praying’s not helping she thought._

Her phone vibrated in her lap. 

_Charlotte: Come see me._

And then a few seconds later.

_Charlotte: Please_

-

Becky wasn’t sure what to expect when the front door opened, but she smiled at the sight of blonde hair and green eyes. Charlotte’s face remained expressionless.

“Hey”, Becky spoke. Her voice was a little hoarse, her accent a little more pronounced.

“Hi, Becky”. Charlotte’s voiced sounded raw, too. As if she’d also been crying. “Come in”. She stood out of the way so Becky could enter.

“Charlie, I’m sorry... about all of this”, the redhead said once they were seated on the sofa in the living room.

Charlotte was quiet. She stared off into the middle distance, gnawing at the inside of her bottom lip.

“I know this is about the video – or at least I think it is”. Becky gave a bitter chuckle. “I kinda hope it is ‘cos then at least I'd know how to fix it. If it’s something else – If I fucked up in another way - you gotta tell me”.

Charlotte shook her head slowly.

“Char, please talk to me... Tell me what I did wrong. Please, _please_ – just tell me”. Becky held her girlfriend’s hand. “Please, Charlie”.

The blonde bit at her lip so hard, she started drawing blood.

“Hey, hey, hey – look at me”, Becky gently placed her hand on Charlotte’s cheek. She used her thumb to wipe the little trickle of blood from the blonde’s lip. “Talk to me”.

“I didn’t... th-think you’d ever hurt anybody”, Charlotte whispered.

“Charlotte... love, I didn’t mean to hurt anybody... I just wanted to protect y... myself”.

Charlotte frowned. “I saw the video, Becky. _You_ attacked her”.

Becky sighed. "She was talking crap about me, okay? I couldn't just stand there... "

"You could've NOT hit her. You could've walked away - been the bigger person". 

"I didn't... It's much more complicated than that". 

Charlotte laughed, bitterly. "Was it about pride? Your ego couldn't handle her talking smack about you?"

Becky lowered her head and whispered a quick "yeah". It wasn't necessary for Charlotte to know the whole truth. 

Charlotte hummed, as if deep in thought. "That's all it took for you to physically attack someone?", she said, voice laced with utter disbelief. 

"I... Char, you know me. You know I would never hurt you or anyone else, but especially not you. I wouldn't lay a finger on you, love". 

Charlotte sniffled, the tears flowing freely now. She used the back of her hand to wipe them away. 

"I'm sorry, love. Just don't cry - I can't... ", Becky was reduced to tears now, too. She got down on her knees in front of Charlotte, wiping the tears. "I love you... So fucking much". 

But Charlotte jerked away. She shook her head, unconvinced by Becky's declaration. 

"You're gonna... You're gonna hurt me, too", she uttered weakly. 

"What? No... No I won't - I would never". Becky reached for Charlotte's cheek, but she turned away. 

"I can't go through this again... I'm... not...". 

Becky rose up and took her place next to Charlotte. 

"Char... What are you saying? Who hurt you?", her voice was small, frightened of what could come next. 

"We... You don't know him", she finally said. 

And then Becky's _Kill Bill_ instincts kicked in. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so... That was a lot. 
> 
> More angst or some recovery comfort fluff in the next chapter?


	15. Revelations Pt. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know - I was gone for a minute. My sincere apologies, life got in the way. 
> 
> But I am back with a new "chapter". 
> 
> Recommended song is She's Mine Pt. 1 by J.Cole. 
> 
> Enjoy x

After Charlotte recounted a past relationship that had become abusive and how she was still seeing a therapist because of it, Becky fell silent. She just sat there – pale faced, mouth set in a hard line. She drew Charlotte in for a hug that lasted four, maybe five minutes. But she still didn’t say anything. Her mind was a labyrinth – every time she tried to think of something else, she would recall Charlotte’s words and then she’d end up right back where she started.

_Seeing you go off on Naomi like that, I was triggered. I was scared, I wanted to throw up – I was taken back three years ago._

Charlotte pulled away and gave half a smile. “See, we’re both a little fucked up”, she muttered.

Becky shook her head. “ _I’m_ fucked up. You did nothing wrong. And I swear, if I ever ran into that sorry fuck I’d...”

“Hit him?”, Charlotte completed the sentence. “That’s exactly what I don’t want. I get that you’re tough and you’re not afraid of anything or anyone, but... Becky, you can’t just use violence as a way to solve your problems”.

“I know – I know all this... I just can’t help it sometimes. Like right now – what you just told me – it upsets me and I wanna fucking murder that bastard”. Becky held Charlotte’s cold hand in hers. “Just know that I would never hurt you – ever”.

Charlotte nodded. “I know. And sorry if I ever doubted you, but you have to understand that the things you do affect me. If you can’t control your temper”, she loosened her hand from Becky’s, “... then we can’t see each other anymore”.

Becky winced at the sudden loss of contact.

“Okay”, Becky breathed out. “I’ll change. I’ll be better, I swear. I won’t fight anyone – not even on Twitter”. She gazed into Charlotte’s green eyes that flickered jade, emerald and so many other shades she could not identify. “I’d do anything for you”, she said earnestly.

The blonde hesitated, but ultimately shifted closer to Becky. “D’you think we could ever be a normal, happy couple?”, Charlotte asked as she turned to look at the woman beside her.

“Woman, I haven’t been normal since 2010”, Becky admitted. She placed a quick peck on Charlotte’s lips. “But I know we could make each other happy”.

Charlotte nodded, running a finger along Becky’s jaw. “I think so, too. She played with the bracelet on Becky’s wrist. “Are you gonna be in a lot of trouble with Miz and the people from the label?”

Becky’s hand rested on Charlotte’s thigh while she spoke. “Miz is pissed, whatever”, she said with a shrug. “The label will probably call me in for a disciplinary hearing. I’m not worried. They don’t scare me”. 

“Cos nothing scares you, right?”, Charlotte asked, raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow.

“Losing you does”, Becky said lowly and looked down because she wasn’t sure how Charlotte would react. She felt her chin being lifted and next Charlotte caught her lower lip in between her teeth. The blonde tugged at it gently before releasing. 

“Sorry”, she apologized meekly. 

Becky shook her head. “C’mere, Charlie”, she invited, reaching over and brushing a few of Charlotte’s blonde locks over her shoulder. She moved closer and crashed their lips together. Charlotte moaned as Becky’s hand ghosted her inner thigh. The redhead slowly retreated, wiping over Charlotte's lip with her thumb. 

“I should go”,  the rapper noted, slightly out of breath. 

Charlotte nodded. “If you stay any longer...” she gave a dry chuckle. “...who knows what might happen”. She carded her hands through Becky's fiery hair. 

“One of those 'if we light this fire, we'll burn down the whole city'- things?”, Becky joked. 

Charlotte gave Becky another kiss before she said “Oh honey, we'll burn down the whole state”. 

-

Becky left Charlotte’s house feeling a lot better about the events of the last few days. Everything since the award show had been a blur, but now it seemed as if though she was breathing easy again.

Sure, what Charlotte told her tore at her and she still felt like there had to be some blood for it, but at least now they were speaking again. It felt as if everything was out in the open now – like they could finally allow themselves to be vulnerable with the other. 

 _This is getting serious_ , Becky kept thinking as she drove home. _And I don’t think I mind it one bit._

Then she spotted the SUV parked in front of her house as she pulled up the street.

She didn’t recognize the car or the plates. Furthermore, almost everyone she knew were out of town. She got out of her own car, armed with her phone and keys and stalked over to the black SUV with the tinted windows. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look, it had to be that short. 
> 
> Next chapter will be longer. 
> 
> Thanks for reading x   
> Comments are always welcome.


	16. Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the most wonderful time of the year... But can it ever be without drama?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song for the chapter is She Knows by J.Cole

Becky neared the car, but stopped when she saw the driver open their door. She narrowed her eyes as she tried to make out the identity of the driver. She let out a sigh of relief when she sees Paige making her way towards her.

“Hey Becky”, the pale woman greeted.

“Hey yourself”. Becky stood with her hands in her back pockets and gave Paige a suspicious once over. “What are you doing here?”

“I just landed an hour ago and discovered I left my house keys in the hotel back in L.A”. Paige shrugged. “And I can’t find a penthouse suite anywhere...”

“Maybe because it’s Christmas”, Becky added matter-of-factly.

“I have nowhere to go – it’s eleven o’ clock”, Paige leaned back against the car and crossed her arms. “I figured you’d have room for another lost soul”. She let out a raspy chuckle. 

Becky thought it over for a few long seconds. 

“I have room in the manger – come on”, Becky said with a smile.

-

“Here you go”, Becky said as she handed Paige a double whiskey with ice.

“Thanks, love”, Paige said and took a sip.

Becky sat down next to her, keeping one of the decorative pillows on her lap. “So... when is my disciplinary hearing with the label?”, Becky asked casually.

Paige finished off her drink before answering. “They’re not gonna do anything – they aren’t even that upset about it”.

“Wh-what do you mean?”, the Irish woman asked.

“Becky, bad publicity is still publicity. People are talking about it – its generating buzz and it fits into the, shall we say, grand narrative”.

“Cut the PR talk and just say what you mean, Paige”, Becky said, sitting up straight.

“You’ve got this new persona and now you’re picking fights with people? It’s exactly what they want from you. That whole USRA’s was perfect for Stephanie and the guys at the label. Not only did you win, you’re the only thing anyone’s talking about”, Paige gave Becky her glass. “Pour me another, will ya?”

When Becky returned, Paige had made herself comfortable, taking off her leather jacket and heels. 

“So they’re not gonna do anything?”, Becky asked as she gave Paige her drink.

“Nope. In fact, they spoke to Naomi’s representatives and everything’s good. No need for cops or courts or anything like that”.

“Of course she wouldn’t go the police – she started it”, Becky mumbled.

“What really happened that night?”, Paige asked as curiosity got the better of her.

“She said some shit, I was triggered. Can we just let it go?”

Paige gave a diligent nod. “If that’s what you want”.

Becky checked the time on her phone. “It’s the 25th of December”. She showed Paige the time on her home screen.

Paige smiled. “You and Charlotte make a cute couple”.

“Wh- oh, right”, Becky checked her screen and smiled. “She’s the best thing that’s happened to me in a really long time”.

“Do you love her?”

“Yes”, Becky said without hesitation.

“Does she love you?”. Paige drank the last of her whiskey.

“I... I think so. She’s not said it yet, but I... I think she does”.

Paige shifted in her seat and let her hand run down Becky’s arm. “How can you be sure?” She leaned in closer, tracing a finger along Becky’s cheek. “You should be with someone who loves you”.

Becky used her hand to nudge Paige away. “You’re tired and you’ve had a few drinks – I think you need some rest”. 

“Yeah – fuck, sorry... I just... I’m alone on Christmas”, Paige said with a shrug.

“Hey, come on...”, Becky patted the Norwich native on the shoulder. “We both are”.

Paige knitted her eyebrows together in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Becky got up on her feet. “Charlotte’s working all day and everyone else is gone, so I guess I’m alone, too”. She grabbed Paige’s bag. “If you want, we can be alone together”.

“I’d like that”, came the reply.

“Good. Now come, bedtime for you”, Becky said and lead Paige upstairs.

-

Becky woke up early the next morning and the first thing she did was call Charlotte, who was getting ready for work.

“Merry Christmas, Charlie”, she cooed into her phone.

“Merry Christmas to you, too. What are you doing today?”, Charlotte asked in between bites of an energy bar.

“Waiting for you to clock out of work”, Becky held, walking into her closet and going through her array of hoodies.

“That’s only tonight... Please tell me you have plans and that you won’t be alone today”, Charlotte said, grabbing her purse and making her way to the front door. Sami was probably only a few minutes away.

“I... actually won’t be. Paige is here and we were gonna hang out today”, Becky said with an audible shrug. “It’s not my ideal Christmas, but she has nowhere to go”.

“I see”, Charlotte stated. “And when you say she’s there...”

“She stayed over – she had trouble finding a place to stay”.

“Why? Miami is full of hotels”, Charlotte noted as she made her way down the pathway.

“Yeah, but she... she’s picky. Look, Char, nothing happened between us. She’s just a friend – less than a friend actually”.

“Of course...”, Charlotte pinched the bridge of her nose. “I trust you, Becky... It’s just... I don’t know Paige that well and I don’t know if I can trust her with you”.

Becky gave a throaty chortle. “I think it’s cute that you’re jealous. I promise I won’t let Paige seduce me, okay?”

Charlotte stayed quiet for a while. “Okay. I’ll see you tonight?”

“Yes, and I’m bringing presents”.

-

After a day of _Friends_ re-runs and Chinese takeout, Becky and Paige found themselves on the patio, sitting by the outdoor fireplace. Paige sipped on an Old Fashioned Becky had fixed her. The Irish woman herself stuck to her apple juice. She watched on as Paige gazed at the fire. The dark haired woman looked so... troubled. Worried.

“Penny for your thoughts?”, Becky asked.

Paige bit at her lower lip and shook her head ‘no’. “I just wanna sit here with you... I don’t wanna talk”.

Becky frowned, but said nothing. She quietly got up from the deck chair and made her way inside the house, only to return two minutes later with a purple and pink stripped box. She set it next to Paige and looked at the other woman with giddy anticipation.

“What’s this?”, Paige asked, trying not to sound too curious.

“Open it”, Becky simply said.

Paige resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She picked up the box and lifted the lid. She couldn’t help but smile when she saw what it was.

“You just had this here? In a box and everything?”, she asked with a giggle.

Becky shrugged. “I was going to send to a fan in Minsk, but I forgot all about it”.

“Ah, so I get the forgotten gift?”, Paige joked.

“No”, Becky said with a frown. “I remember you said you were a big fan so... figured you might like it”.

Paige took out the two cassette tapes and the _Walkman_. “How’d you even get your albums on cassette?”, she asked slightly amused.

“Truth knows a guy”.

“A cassette guy?”, Paige asked and laughed. She put Becky’s first tape in and pressed play.

“Does it work?”, Becky asked, genuinely interested. Paige handed her one of the earphone buds.

The redhead smiled when she heard one of her old songs playing.

“Thank you, Becky... Not just for the gift, but for today. I would’ve been drunk in some hotel room, contemplating calling one of my hook-ups to come over”. Paige took out the earphones from both their ears and leaned over to hug Becky.

“No worries. You’re... my friend”, the ginger said with half a smile.

Paige let go of Becky, but they were still very close. The pale woman brushed a loose strand of hair behind Becky’s ear. She could feel the other woman’s breath on her skin.

“You’re too good for this world”, she murmured, brushing a hand against Becky’s cheek and staring into the ginger’s lively hazel eyes.

“Paige, I was just being nice. I...”, but Becky was cut off by Paige’s lips on hers. The Englishwoman moved so she could straddle Becky, using her hands to pin the rapper back on the loveseat.

“Paige, please... I-I can’t...”, Becky panted and pushed Paige away.

“Why not? Cos of Charlotte?”, Paige questioned, smoothing over Becky’s hair. “Is she the reason we can’t fuck?”

“Well, yes... I love her and I won’t cheat on her”. 

“You’re a fucking tease”, Paige purred and started planting kisses all along Becky’s jaw.

“Seriously, get off!”, Becky asserted. But Paige kept kissing her, pulling at the collar of her t-shirt and taking some of Becky’s skin in between her teeth. The Irishwoman pushed at Paige again, this time with enough force to successfully get her off.

“You know you want me, Becky. You can protest all you want, but you want me. I could feel it – see it in your eyes”, Paige said with a dangerous smirk adorning her features.

“You need to leave”. Becky got up on her feet and stood over Paige with arms crossed. 

“Is that really what you want?”, Paige asked.

“Yes! You fucking kissed me and you know I have a girlfriend. Now please, just go”.

Paige got up and stood face to face with Becky. “I’ll go, if that’s what you want. But you lead me on and kissed me back and you know it”. She placed a peck on Becky’s cheek. “Good luck explaining that hickey to your girlfriend”.

-

Becky knocked impatiently on Charlotte’s front door. She was still a little rattled about the events of the afternoon, but right now all that mattered was being with her girlfriend.

“Geez, I’m coming!”, Charlotte called out. She opened the door and was almost instantly pulled in for a hug by her girlfriend.

“I really missed you today”, Becky mumbled into Charlotte’s shoulder. 

“Hey, it’s okay, you’re here now”. Charlotte said and kissed Becky’s forehead.

“You have company already?”, Becky asked and nodded her head toward the Benz in the driveway.

“It’s err... my dad”, Charlotte said and offered an apologetic smile.

“I can’t wait to meet him”, Becky said.

-

Becky walked slightly behind Charlotte, making sure her hoodie is zipped up and covering the hickey on the right side of her neck.

“Dad, Becky’s here”, Charlotte said.

“Well, you’re a lot shorter in person”, Ric said as he got up from the sofa. 

“Really Dad?”, Charlotte asked, already annoyed.

“No, no, Char, it’s fine. I get that a lot, sir”. Becky shook the man’s hand. “It’s really nice to you meet you. Merry Christmas”.

“Same to you. Now sit, make yourself at home”. Ric patted on the empty spot next to him.

 Charlotte cleared her throat before speaking. “Can I get you anything to drink, Becks? Or something to eat?”

“Just a glass of water please, love”.

Becky smiled as she watched Charlotte slip off to the kitchen.

“Checking my daughter out, huh?”, Ric mumbled into his glass of whiskey.

Becky felt her ears beginning to burn. “No, sir, I was just... I just can’t help but notice how gracefully she moves. She doesn’t waste actions – everything she does is with purpose”.

“Hmm”, was all Ric could come up with. 

Charlotte returned with a tall glass of water with crushed ice – the way she knew Becky liked it. She sat across from her dad and Becky, trying her hardest to appear casual.

“I’ve been listening to your music, Becky. I gotta say I’m really enjoying it”, Ric stated.

“Thank you, sir”.

“There was this one particular lyric in one of your songs that I just didn’t quite get... I think it was something like...” Ric scratched at his head. “... _I’ll spread a hoe’s pussy over toast_. What does that mean and have you done that to my daughter?”

“Jesus, Dad! What the hell?”, Charlotte asked, getting on her feet.

Becky choked on her water and started coughing.

“I was just asking, Lottie, Becky doesn’t have to answer”.

Becky unzipped her hoodie in an attempt to get some sort of air. “I uh... that was a long time ago, Mr Flair. If you listen to my new stuff you’ll see I don’t... say things like that anymore”.

Ric nodded. “I see”.

“I have nothing but respect for women, your daughter in particular”.

“So your intentions are...”

“As pure as snow. We’re taking things slow... Right, Charlie?”

Charlotte, who was still fuming over her dad’s actions, nodded. 

“And you’re not gonna hurt her? In _any_ way?”

“Never, sir. I’d hurt myself before I hurt Charlotte”.

“Dad, I think maybe you should head upstairs and rest for a bit”, Charlotte suggested.

“You’re right, princess. Becky,” he turned to the slightly stunned Irish woman. “It was nice to finally meet The Man in person”, he said as he got up.

“Likewise, Mr Flair”. 

“You gals enjoy the rest of your evening. And try to not give this one any more hickies, princess”, Ric said with an obnoxious laugh.

Becky’s hand immediately went to her neck. She could almost feel Charlotte’s eyes burning into her skin.

“Oh, no... that... _that_ was a mistake”, Charlotte said dryly.

“Alright then, g’night”, Ric said and made his way up the stairs. 

Charlotte waited until she heard the guestroom’s door shut. It took her two steps to get to where Becky was standing, fingers still ghosting over the mark.

“What the hell is this?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was quite a ride. Hope y'all enjoyed it. 
> 
> What did you make of the chapter? Do we all hate Paige now? Is Ric being a major eggplant or just a concerned father? 
> 
> Comments keep me motivated, so feel free to post some.


	17. Christmas Pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A continuation of the last Christmas themed chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay look, I've been so busy guys!   
> I'm sorry I abandoned y'all for a minute - but I will be updating more these next few weeks. 
> 
> The song for this chapter is the same one as the last one, but LOL, I don't remember what it was. 
> 
> This is short because it basically sets up a whole new world of sh*t for Becky and by extension, CharLynch. 
> 
> Enjoy x

Charlotte inspected the mark on the side of Becky’s neck. “Did Paige do this?”, she asked softly.

Becky dropped her head and gave a nod.

“Seriously, Becky? What the fuck?”

“It’s not what you think... Nothing happened”, Becky tried to put her hands on Charlotte’s shoulders but was rebuffed by the blonde.

“You have _that_ on your neck and you’re telling nothing happened? Everyday it’s something new with you, isn’t it? Jesus, just... tell me the truth”, Charlotte said, slumping down on the sofa.

“Okay, look...” Becky sat down next to her girlfriend. “Paige kissed me... she wanted -actually, I don’t know what she wanted to do, but I said no. She wouldn’t listen. She gave me this on purpose – she wanted you to see it”. Becky covered her face with her hands. “I’m an idiot. I thought I was being nice, but clearly I gave her the wrong impression”.

Charlotte glanced over at her girl. She sure looked remorseful. 

“Why is everything so complicated with you?” It was more of a rhetorical question. The blonde took Becky’s hand. “You didn’t kiss her back, did you?”

Becky considered her answer for half a second. “No... I didn’t”.

“Did you want to?”

Becky opened her mouth to speak, but just lowered her gaze, staring at the coffee table. “It sucks that you would ask that, but if you really wanna know – no, I didn’t. I don’t want anyone else. Just you”.

Charlotte rubbed Becky’s shoulder, massaging it gently. “I’m sorry, Becky, but you have to admit this looks bad. But I trust you – I really do. And I believe you and...” she lifted Becky’s chin. “... I love you”.

 Becky’s swallowed thickly. “Good, ‘cos I love you, too”. She reached into her back pocket and revealed a little black box which she put down on the table. “Don’t worry, it’s not an engagement ring”, she said, a small smile forming on her lips.

“I would hope not”, Charlotte said with a raised eyebrow. She picked up the box and opened it slowly. Inside she found a single key. “What’s this?”

“It’s a key... you lock and unlock doors with it”, Becky joked, getting a playful nudge on the shoulder from Charlotte. “It’s the key to my apartment... the one downtown. I’m not asking you to move in or anything, but I wanted to give something that meant more than just flashy jewellery or some other meaningless crap”. Becky took a deep breath and slowly let it out again. “I wanted to give you something that showed how much you mean to me. I want you to be a part of my life”.

Charlotte smiled despite the tears welling up in her eyes. “Becky, I-I don’t know what to say... You allowing me in like this... makes me so happy”.

“I’ve bought a lot of women a lot of gifts, Charlie – cars, bracelets, trips to Jamaica – but none of that meant anything. Because they didn’t mean anything”. Becky leaned over to kiss the blonde. Their lip lock didn’t last too long though, as Charlotte gently pushed Becky away.

“Hold up – can I give you your present now?”, Charlotte asked.

“You didn’t have to get me anything, love”. Becky trailed her fingertips along Charlotte’s arm.

“I’m not gonna lie... shopping for you was really hard. I mean, you literally have everything”. Charlotte walked over to the tree and picked up a gift wrapped in bright orange paper.

Becky couldn’t help but smile. “That’s a... nice colour”.

“Yeah, I don’t know – for some reason it just stood out”. Charlotte gave Becky the present and the rapper began tearing the paper off, much to her girlfriend’s amusement. “Don’t worry, I just spent half an hour wrapping it up perfectly for you”, Charlotte joked.

“I’m sorry, babe. But I’m just really curious... you know I’m just a big kid”. Becky lifted the lid of the box and smiled when she swathe contents. Inside was a folded up black hoodie. It was folded in such a way that the front logo could be seen. It had the words ‘The Man’ printed on it in white.

“You love hoodies so... I had this made”, Charlotte tried to gauge Becky’s reaction. “Do you like it? It’s one size too big, just the way you usually wear it?”

“I love it. It’s perfect”. Becky kissed Charlotte on the cheek. “Thank you, Char... despite everything that’s happened today and over the last few days, this is still the best Christmas I’ve had in a really long time. And I know it’s ‘cos I have you now. I don’t know how you make everything better, but you do”.

Charlotte gave Becky a quick peck on the lips. “Hey, I made pie... you want a slice?”

“Is that a euphemism for something a little more risqué?”, Becky asked teasingly. 

“Get your mind out of the gutter or else you’ll ruin pecan pie for me”, Charlotte admonished.

Becky held her hands up. “Hey, I’m just putting things into the universe”.

Charlotte snaked her arms around Becky’s neck. “I know I’m making you wait, but I want us to be ready... like, emotionally, mentally and not just physically”.

Becky nodded. “I know”, she said softly. “I don’t mind waiting”. Maybe she was bending the truth a little bit, but being with Charlotte right then and there was enough. 

“Be right back, ‘kay?” Charlotte trotted off to the kitchen, leaving Becky alone in the living room. The ginger closed her eyes for a few seconds and laid back on the couch, suddenly feeling the effects of a long day. She was pretty sure it was the 26th by now. Her phone vibrating in her pocket made her open her eyes and sit up straight. She checked the message.

 _Miz: I hope you’ve got an alibi, Becks..._  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh just btw, 150 kudos! 
> 
> You're welcome x
> 
> Anywayz - any theories as to what's going on? Drop em in the comments. 
> 
> Also, I'm on Tumblr - RileySav7 - come say hi


	18. Accident

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, as promised - a quicker update! 
> 
> This chapter was very easy to write for some reason. 
> 
> Song for the chapter is Ocean Drive by Duke Dumont
> 
>  
> 
> Disclaimer: All medical inaccuracies are my own, although, I did consult my friend in med school. 
> 
> Enjoy x

 

As soon as Becky said goodbye to Charlotte and made her way to her car, she called Miz. His phone gave one ring.

“Becks... Where are you?”, he asked in a semi-frantic voice.

“I-I’m on way my way home. I was with Charlotte”.

“Good... good. Were you there the whole day?”.

“No... she was working... I came over around ten”. Becky could hear her manager’s muffled curses. “Miz, what the fuck is going on?”

“Okay look, something happened and... it’s a fucking shitshow and you’re headlining”. Miz took a deep breath before he continued. “There was a shooting at a club... Naomi was there and she got hit”.

Becky felt like she stopped breathing for a minute. “Wh-what?”

“It happened about twenty minutes ago”.

“Well, why would I need an alibi? I had nothing to do with it”.

“Becky... you attacked her less than a week ago... even if you had nothing to do with it, you’re still going to be implicated”. Miz sighed. “Look, just go home – get some sleep and I’ll be over there by the crack of dawn, okay?”

“Wait...why?”, Becky asked as she made a left turn.

“To lawyer up... If anyone starts pointing fingers at you we need to be ready”.

Becky grunted. “This is stupid. No one’s gonna suspect me of something so fuckin-”

But Becky’s voice had cut out and then Miz heard screaming tyres and then a loud crash and glass busting.

“Becky? Becks?!”

-

 

Miz paced up and down the waiting room. He couldn’t bring himself to sit down.

“You need to relax – the doctors know what they’re doing”, Paige said.

“She was in a goddamn car accident, Paige... did you see the car? It’s fucking totalled. And if the car looked like that... Jesus, I don’t wanna think about it”.

Paige sighed and reclined in her seat. “What even happened?”, the English woman asked.

“She lost control of the car – police said by the damage done, she was probably speeding”. Miz kicked at the coffee table. “I kept telling her she needs to drive safer and now- Fuck... what if she...”

Paige got up and grabbed at Miz by the arm. “You can’t think that way. We need to remain positive... That’s what Becky would want from us”.

Miz shook his head. “You’re right... I already called her family and I let Mandy know – she’ll be here later today. Damn, I should probably tell Charlotte, too”.

Paige rolled her eyes. “I already let her know – she’s on duty, she couldn’t come over... The news was very distressing for her”, the black haired woman said in a phoney sweet voice.

“Good – I guess everyone important knows... We should release a statement”.

Paige held up her phone. “Already typed. I just need the go-ahead from you”.

-

Charlotte wasn’t sure if what she was seeing was real or not.

She had woken up at eight the next morning and went down stairs to make coffee. As usual, she switched on the television and that’s when she first saw the news that Becky Lynch, her Becky, had been in a motor vehicle accident around midnight.

The blonde was sure she had blacked out for a minute because the next thing she knew, she was banging on her father’s door.

“Dad! Daddy!”, she yelled.

“What’s the matter, princess? What happened?”, Ric asked when he opened the bedroom door.

“Dad, it’s – it’s Becky... sh-she, she was... She was in an accident and she’s... I don’t know what h-happened or where she is”.

Ric tried to call his daughter down, pulling her in for a hug.

“Daddy, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do... I don’t... I don’t have any other numbers of... of her people – her friends. I don’t know what hospital she’s in”.

“Alright well, do you know where the accident happened? Because I’m sure they’ll just take her to the nearest hospital”.

Charlotte shrugged and wiped some tears away. “They didn’t say, but, I’m sure she was on her way home from here”.

“Well, Mae Young Memorial Hospital is the closest one – maybe that’s where they took her. I’ll make a call”.

Charlotte whimpered. “You think they’ll just give out her location to a random stranger over the phone?”. She bit at her lip to keep from sobbing again.

“We’ll find out, won’t we? Now, you go get dressed and we can go to the hospital okay?”

Charlotte gave an uncertain nod.

“Everything’s gonna be fine, sweetie, Becky’s gonna be fine”. Ric put a reassuring arm on his daughter’s shoulder. “She’s got the luck of the Irish on her side”, he added with a smile.

-

“Did she just move?”, the doctor asked one of the nurses.

The nurse, a brunette, checked up on Becky. “Yes, doc. Her eyes are fluttering and her hand moved”.

The doctor walked over and leaned over the bed. “Miss Lynch... Can you hear me?” 

Becky could hear a man’s voice echo from somewhere, but she wasn’t sure what he was saying. Her eyelids felt like lead and like she couldn’t open them, but she tried her hardest to.

“What did you say her injuries were again?”, the doctor asked the brunette nurse.

“Fractured rib and scapula, a deep cut on her thigh, and some bruising on her abdomen. Mostly blunt force trauma. Those are only the external injuries though, doc”.

“Did ER mention any internal injuries?”, the doctor asked.

“Well, Doctor McIntyre said there might’ve been some damage done to her lungs – but there was no internal bleeding when he first checked her out”.

Becky’s arm moved again and she desperately wanted to say something, but she just couldn’t form any words. The doctor placed a gentle hand on her chest. “Don’t strain yourself, miss Lynch. You were in a motor vehicle accident a few hours ago... You have some injuries and I’m sure you’re in a lot of pain... but you’re going to be just fine”.

Becky’s eyes slammed shut again after that.

The doctor turned to his nurse. “Martinez, we need to get the patient a MRI scan, check for brain damage”.

-

“Alright doc – how’s she doing?”, Miz asked.

Dr. Gargano gave a sad smile. “She’s pretty beaten up... She’ll hurt for a bit, but there won’t be any lasting damage”.

“Really? That’s great fucking news!”, Miz said, punching the doctor on the shoulder.

“We’re gonna have to run some tests – brain scans and such – but she seems to be okay. Maybe a little concussed, but she’ll be fine”. Gargano shrugged. “She could’ve been seriously injured. She is very, very lucky”.

“This is incredible news”, Paige said, clasping her hands together. “Can we see her?”

Gargano shook his head. “She can’t have visitors right now, but you’ll be able to see her tomorrow during scheduled visitation. It’s usually only one hour, but I get that miss Lynch is quite popular so we could extend it with an hour”.

“Thank you, doctor”, Paige said. “And as we discussed, it would be better if you didn’t disclose Becky’s admittance here. The poor dear has to deal with the crazy media all her life and we just want to keep her from all of that”.

Gargano nodded. “Don’t worry – no one’s getting in there except you two”.

Paige grinned. “Good”.

-

“Just, just let me speak to Dr Gargano, please”, Charlotte pleaded with the receptionist.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but Dr Gargano is very busy right now”, the dark-haired receptionist with the name “Aaliya” on her tag said.

“Look, I know Becky Lynch is here, okay? She’s my girlfriend... I need to know how she’s doing. Please, please just tell me where she is...”

“Ma’am, I can’t help you... Sorry”.

Charlotte was just about to continue her pleas, when she spotted Gargano passing them. 

“Johnny! Hey, wait up”. Charlotte took a few long paces and reached the man. “Johnny, I need to see one of your patients, immediately”.

Gargano had a perplexed look on his face. “Wh-what’s going on? What do you mean?”

“Becky Lynch”, Charlotte almost whispered. “I know she’s here”.

“Wait, Flair, how do you know that?”

“It’s the nearest hospital to... She’s my girlfriend. She was on her way back home from my place”, Charlotte shook her head. “I need to see her, please”.

Gargano gave the tall blonde a once-over. They met back in med school and had a few mutual friends. He felt like he could believe her, trust her.

“Okay look, visitation is tomorrow... But I’m going to have to run it passed miss Lynch’s manager”. 

Charlotte sighed. “Can’t I see her now?”

“Look, Charlotte, Becky’s doing alright. She’s stable and her injuries aren’t that severe. She’s gonna pull through”. Gargano offered half a smile after he said this.

Charlotte felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. For the first time in hours it felt like she was breathing again.

“She’s gonna be okay?”, the blonde almost breathed out. 

“Yeah. She is”.

-

Becky grunted and tried to turn to her side.

“No, no, no, miss Lynch –don’t move too much”, nurse Martinez said. 

“Wh-what... h-happened?”, Becky asked in a hoarse voice.

“You were in a car accident, miss Lynch... You’re in the hospital”.

“Wh-what...happened?”, Becky asked again.

“You were... miss Lynch, how are you feeling?”

“Sore”, Becky said softly.

The nurse smiled and fluffed at Becky’s pillows. “You’ll feel better soon. After you have breakfast, we’ll give you some opioids”.

“D-does Charlotte... Charlotte...”

“I am going to get Dr. Gargano”, the nurse said.

“Did someone... tell Charlotte?”, the ginger asked again.

“I don’t know, miss, but everyone knows... It’s all over the news”.

“She’s gonna worry – she’s gonna... please tell her I’m okay”.

-

Miz and Mandy were in the elevator, heading up to Becky’s floor. The blonde had cut her holiday short to be by the side of her boss.

“Billie and Peyton are on their way back. Should probably be here in a day or two”, Mandy noted while scrolling on her phone.

“Jesus... why can’t they just stay in fucking Australia. I don’t wanna have to deal with them right now, too”.

“They mean a lot to Becky – she considers them family”, Mandy said with a shrug. “and besides, having some company around will be good for her”.

Walking into the waiting area, the two spot Paige.

“Why is _she_ here?”, Mandy asked, immediately suspicious of the British woman’s presence.

“Paige is very concerned about Becky’s well-being”, Miz answered.

“I don’t like her... and I sure as hell don’t trust her”.

Miz ignored Mandy and walked up to Paige. They exchanged pleasantries and chatted while Mandy looked on.

“I hope Becky’s feeling better today and that her pain is less, the poor thing”, Paige said with a sigh. Miz put a protective arm around her shoulder.

“I’m sure she’s doing good. Becky is a strong little thing, ain’t she? She’ll be alright”.

Mandy cleared her throat. “Has anyone called Charlotte yet? I’m sure she’d wanna see her girlfriend”.

Paige turned to face Mandy. She had a smile on her face, but her dark eyes looked venomous. “I called but there was no answer. I did leave a message though...”

“Hmm, well, I’m going to get coffee –you guys want anything?”, Mandy asked.

Paige shook her head.

“I’ll have a water, thanks Mandy”, Miz ordered.

The blonde gave a nod and walked down the corridor. The minute she was out of Miz and Paige’s sights, she took out her cell phone and rapidly scrolled through all of her contacts. She found the number she was looking for and hits call.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, I torture Becky a lot... I can't help it! 
> 
> Thanks for reading x and don't use your phones while you're driving!


	19. Bedside Manner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!   
> This is my favourite chapter so far. 
> 
> Song for the chapter is "Pussy is Mine" by Miguel 
> 
> Enjoy x

Mandy made sure Paige was in her sights the entire time. She didn't trust the British woman at all, especially after calling Charlotte herself and discovering Paige had been lying.

She claimed she called Charlotte, but the blonde never heard from Paige or Miz, for that matter. 

Mandy was the one who told Charlotte that they were all going visit Becky and that Charlotte was more than welcome to join them.

Charlotte wasn’t sure, because she knew Paige would be there. She was so pissed off that she might just cause a scene. And she couldn’t jeopardise her reputation like that. Mandy though, promised she’d get rid of Miz and Paige so Charlotte could spend some time alone with Becky.

Now, leaning against the frame of the door, Mandy continued sussing out Paige. She might have had Miz fooled, but Mandy was starting to see right through her.

Becky was awake, but she was in no mood to talk. 

“How’re you feeling, love?”, Paige asked as she straightened the covers of the hospital bed.

Becky, rather than answer, gave her a mean scowl.

“You in a lot of pain?”, Miz asked.

The Irish rapper turned her head slightly so she could see her manager. “I’m fine”, she croaked. 

“What happened, Becks? How’d you crash the car?”, Mandy wanted to know.

“I was on the phone and I was driving too fast and... lost control of the damn thing. Is anyone injured? Did I hit someone? These fucking doctors wouldn’t say”. Becky tried to sit up, but it hurt too much.

“You hit a tree. In a residential area. No damage done to anyone other than you... and that sweet ass Audi of yours”, Miz said and gave an obnoxious laugh. He readjusted his sunglasses. “But seriously Becks, you coulda died. You need to be more careful”.

Becky decided not to answer.

“Update on Naomi – she’s recuperating in a hospital”, Paige said. “Not this one”, she added with a smile.

“The police have two suspects in custody. Luckily you’re not on their radar. Lots of people on social media though...”, Miz gave a mirthless chuckle. “All you need to know is that the cops have ruled you out as a suspect so it doesn’t matter what everyone else thinks”.

Becky smiled sardonically. “Well, that makes me feel a whole lot better”.

“Did you want anything? Like, magazines to read or snacks or...”

“No thanks... I just need rest”, Becky interrupted her assistant.

“Well, we need to go. Miz has a meeting with _Adidas_. They still want you to be the face of their new sneaker collection, despite recent... everything”.

Becky nodded. “Thanks for coming”, she said and offered a small smile.

“Feel better, Becks. We still got that album to finish, you know. And if we can sign that deal with _Adidas_ you’ll need to do the ad campaigns and...”

“Alright, alright, Miz... I’m sure Becky doesn’t want to talk business right now. She wants to rest; let her rest”, Paige noted.

Miz and Mandy said their goodbyes and left Becky’s hospital room, but Paige had lingered around. She stood by the edge of the bed and watched over Becky.

“Why are you still here?”, Becky asked angrily.

“I’m concerned about your well-being... You could not imagine how upsetting this news was. When I heard you were involved in an accident, I was so distraught”.

Becky shook her head in disbelief. “I thought I made myself clear – you need to stay away from me. I want nothing to do with you”.

“Well, that’s what you tell yourself. And I’m sure that’s what you tell your girlfriend who, lo and behold, isn’t even here right now”. Paige sat down on the chair next to Becky’s bed. “Did it even cross your mind that... I dunno, she’s just using you”. Paige leaned over and tucked a strand of orange hair behind Becky’s ear. “For your money or your fame...maybe even for your body”.

Becky wanted to slap Paige’s hand away, but thought better of it. “I’m serious, Paige. Get out of here or...”

“Or what?”, Paige asked playfully.

“Or I go over there and kick your ass”. Charlotte stood with her arms crossed. “Now get the hell outta here”.

Paige shrugged, placed a kiss on Becky’s forehead and sauntered towards Charlotte.

“Don’t. Ever. Threaten. Me”. Paige stepped up to Charlotte.

“Kicking your ass wasn’t a threat, it was a promise”, Charlotte said and stood to the side so Paige could leave the room.

The blonde watched the English woman leave, then she turned around to face Becky.

“God I wanna slap the smug look off that woman’s face”, the blonde said and walked over to Becky’s bed. “How are you feeling?”, she asked in a much gentler voice.

Becky smiled for the first time in what felt like forever. “I’m so much better now that you’re here”.

Charlotte rolled her eyes. “That’s cute, but come on – how are you _really_ doing, Becks?”

Becky sniffled. “Everything kinda hurts”.

Charlotte carded her hands through Becky’s hair. “I’m so glad you’re okay... I-I was so worried... and scared...”, Charlotte’s lip quivered a little as she tried to hold back the tears.

“It’s okay, love. I’m fine”, Becky said, slowly reaching over to take Charlotte’s hand.

“Yeah, but things could have been different. You could’ve died, you idiot”, the blonde said, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

“I know I was reckless, Charlie. Please don’t cry, love, ‘cos you’re just gonna set me off and then it’s gonna be a big gay cry-fest”. 

“Don’t ever scare me like that again”, Charlotte all but whispered.

Becky gave a nod. “I’ll stop doing stupid shit, I promise”.

-

Becky turned the volume of her Bluetooth speaker up to the maximum in the hopes that Miguel would drown out all the loud sex noises coming from Billie and Peyton’s room.

“Jesus Christ! Could you two maybe fuck at a respectable volume?!”, Becky yelled out. 

Becky was still on bed rest, as per Dr Gargano’s (and Charlotte’s) orders. She had to spend New Year’s Eve in hospital, too. Charlotte felt bad that they couldn’t be together, but Becky convinced her to go out with her friends instead. Charlotte still called her at midnight, but Becky was already asleep by that time.

The next day Charlotte visited and brought Becky a bouquet of orange tulips.

“No girl’s ever gotten me flowers before”, Becky said, as she inspected the bouquet. 

“Can I get a kiss on my _two lips_ now?”, Charlotte asked, a small smile forming on her lips.

Becky stared at her for about five seconds before saying “marry me”.

“Shut up – I might say yes”, Charlotte said and kissed Becky’s nose.

But that was two weeks ago.

Now Becky’s back home and has to listen to Peyton and Billie have sex for hours on end. All when she’s hasn’t gotten laid since she met Charlotte.

The bedroom door swung open and Peyton, Billie and two girls Becky had never seen in her life are all stood by the foot of her bed.

“Did you call us?”, Billie asked, voice slurred a bit.

“I said, keep the Sapphic orgy noise down or get the hell out of my house”, Becky said, massaging her temples. “And who are these people? Your pets aren’t allowed in my private quarters”.

Peyton sniffed a couple of times, something which alarmed Becky, and introduced the two girls as “Bianca Belair and Dakota Kai”.

“The hell? Are they strippers?”, Becky asked. “Know what? I don’t care – just go someplace else”.

“I know you’re busted up and all, but you’re being so mean to our friends”, Billie argued. She led the two girls out of the room.

“You okay, B-Money?”, Peyton asked, sitting on the edge of Becky’s bed.

The Irishwoman noticed Peyton’s diluted pupils and her uncontrollable leg-shaking.

“Are you?”, Becky countered. 

Peyton smiled. “Of course – I feel great. You’re back home, everything’s good with you and Charlotte and those strippers...” Peyton whistled. “...they will do anything – and I mean anything”.

Becky had a dead-pan expression on her face. “Are you using?”

Peyton’s eyebrows quirked up in confusion. “What? Using? Becks, you know I’m clean”.

Becky wasn’t convinced, but she gave a nod. 

“I gotta go get my freak on with those girls – love ya, Becks”. The leggy Australian woman skipped out of Becky’s room, closing the door behind her.

-

It wasn’t even an erotic massage, but Becky felt herself edging closer with each passing second. Charlotte’s strong hands were moving all over her, applying muscle gel to her aching back.

Charlotte applies the gel with her fingers and then uses her palms to work it into Becky’s back.

“Too much pressure?”, she asked when she hears Becky groan.

“No, no... it’s good – it’s really good”, Becky muttered. 

After the backrub, Charlotte checked on the wound Becky had on her thigh. She dressed it with new bandages, too.

“You’re such a good doctor”, Becky said with a sigh.

“My patients are usually toddlers – so taking care of you is not that much of a stretch”, Charlotte said and chuckled. 

Later that night, when everything and everyone had quieted down, Becky watched as Charlotte flipped between the channels. The blonde sat next to her on the bed and was trying to find a show or a movie to watch.

“Char, there’s nothing good on”, Becky said, the smile almost audible in her voice.

“We could try Netflix – do you have a-”, but Charlotte was cut off by Becky’s soft peck on her lips. 

“Love, you see that guitar over there? Bring it over here, please”.

Charlotte retrieved the instrument and handed it over to her girlfriend. She took her place next to Becky.

“You play guitar?”,she asked, eyebrow quirked up in surprise.

“I do indeed – but I’m a little rusty so forgive me if this sounds crap”. Becky’s fingers glide down the neck. 

“You’re gonna sound amazing”, Charlotte reassured.

“Remember when I told you I’d write a song for you? Well, tonight seems like the perfect time to debut it”. Becky strummed the guitar. “It’s called ‘Mine’ and you’re under no obligation to love it... but if you don’t – it’ll totally throw our entire relationship in the balance”. 

“Stop being dramatic and play it”, Charlotte said as she ran a finger along Becky’s jawline.

“Stop running, babe – we both know you’ve found your home. Nobody’s meant to be alone. I told her and now she knows – she just took all my woes and turned ‘em to gold. We’re taking it slow, I’ve been on the road, but I’d like to know how you sound deep in the throes. When you’re stripped of your clothes and I hold you close and make you mine”.

Becky put the guitar down on the carpeted floor next to the bed. She looked over at Charlotte to gauge the blonde’s reaction. “So... d’you like it?”

Charlotte responded by snaking her arms around Becky’s neck and pulling her closer. “I know what you want – and I know I can give it to you... just have a little patience”, she said into Becky’s ear, before dropping her head a little and kissing the ginger woman all along her jaw. “Besides...” she said in between kisses. “I need you in perfect health for when we do it”.

Becky sighed happily and gave Charlotte a long, passionate kiss. “Good God, you’re sexy”. 

Charlotte was convinced that she was blushing like a teenager who just realized her crush knows she exists. “Becks can I... stay over?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See? No cliffhanger - I'm nice. 
> 
> Thanks for reading x


	20. Siege

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Becky is ready to take on the label and anyone else who crosses her, while Charlotte reflects on their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have a lot say today - just enjoy the chapter guys x
> 
> Song - Right Hand by Drake

“So what was it like?”

Becky looked up from her cellphone and right at an excited Mandy. “What was _what_ like?”

Mandy rolled her eyes and poured herself a glass of orange juice. “Waking up next to someone. I know you haven’t done that in a while”.

Becky had half a smile on her face. Even though Charlotte left a few hours ago, the ginger was still on cloud nine – still floating around the house, smiling like an idiot. And all because someone loved her enough to stay over. To sleep in the same bed with her.

“Oh come on, Becks, spill it”. Mandy rested her head on her palms. “Did you guys do it? Was it good?”, she asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

“You forget you work me, Mandy. Know your place”. Becky went back to eating the croissant Mandy had brought for her. Almond with chocolate drizzle – just the way she liked it. Now the rapper felt bad for dismissing her assistant like that. “But, if you must know... nothing happened. We just talked”. Becky worried her bottom lip in between her teeth, trying to contain her smile. “For hours. She likes to talk – I like to listen”.

“Well, you’re walking around here like someone who just got laid so I’d say it was a good night”.

“Send some flowers over to the hospital for Charlotte”, Becky noted, trying to the change the subject. “Yellow, preferably”.

Mandy gave a nod. “Should it have a card?”

Becky considers for half a second. “She’ll know who it’s from and what they mean”.

“Got it, boss”.

“Oh and uh... if you could maybe get me some info on Naomi. Like, how she’s doing and such...” Becky drank from her teacup.

“Wait... why would you care about her?” Mandy questioned.

Becky pulled her shoulders up in a shrug. “Because she’s a person... who got shot. And even though I can’t stand her, she still didn’t deserve it”.

“She’s been a bitch towards you ever since she started out. She insulted the woman you love...”

“I guess I’m just the bigger person then”, Becky said and with that, ended the conversation.

-

“So? What do you think? It’s lit, right?”, Truth asked over the beat that was playing. “I worked on it during the holidays. Thought you might like it”.

Becky listened carefully to the instrumental track, tentatively biting her at her nails. “It’s not bad... A little too West Coast for me though”.

Truth shook his head. “It’s what Paige said you wanted though, so I’m just following orders”.

Becky sat upright in the chair, she’d slumped in all the while. “W-why is Paige giving you notes? She isn’t involved in our process. She works for the label. She’s not my producer”.

“She called me up right before Christmas and said she spoke to you. I didn’t know what to think. You know that pale lady scare the shit outta me. I figured you two worked something out”.

“Jesus Christ...”, Becky mumbled. “From now on, if you don’t hear it from me – don’t believe it at all”.

Truth gave a nod. “So I guess you also don’t want your album out by April? ‘Cos that’s what Paige said”.

Becky reclined back in the chair again, taking a deep, calming breaths in an attempt not to lose her temper. “I want a meeting with those dopes. With Paige, with Stephanie – with whoever the hell thinks they’re in charge of my life and my career!”

-

“Beautiful flowers”, Dr. Sonya Deville observed when she walked into the break room and spotted Charlotte admiring a bouquet of bright yellow daffodils. 

“My girlfriend sent them”, Charlotte said casually.

“Oh come on, Flair, don’t act all coy. Everyone and their mother knows you’re dating Becky Lynch. Just say, ‘Becky sent them’”, Sonya remarked, smiling all the while.

“It’s... weird. Saying that out loud”, Charlotte admitted. She put the flowers into a vase that was conveniently empty.

“Why? She is your girlfriend, isn’t see?” Sonya poured two cups of coffee and handed one to Charlotte, who gratefully accepted.

“Yes... and for the first few weeks, maybe even months, she was ‘Becky Lynch’ to me... Now she’s just... my girlfriend. I don’t see her as some famous rapper”.

Sonya nodded as if she understood. “It’s still pretty cool knowing someone who’s dating one of the biggest rappers in the world. Hey, do you get to hear all her new music first" 

Charlotte smiled into her cup. “Something like that”.

“She can’t tell ya. She signed an NDA!”, AJ joked as he entered the room.

“Shut up, Styles”, Charlotte said, shoving at AJ without any real malice.

“I’m just sayin’, you’re dating a mysterious, rich stranger... Might as well be uh, what’s that thing called? Uh, Fifty Shades of Grey”.

Sonya bursts out in laughter, but Charlotte was not amused.

“You’re both idiots. I’m working in a hospital with idiots”, Charlotte said with a sigh.

“Okay, maybe we’re being dicks – but hey, you gotta admit. It’s kind of amazing that you’re dating someone so freaking famous. You’re a celebrity too now... by proxy at least”, Sonya said.

“Yeah man, you should quit your job and become one of ‘em TV housewives”, AJ jokes again.

Charlotte was just about to retort, but decided she was better off doing her rounds than arguing with her annoying colleagues. Besides, she thought, they wouldn’t understand. No one other than her and Becky understood their relationship. Just then she decides to send her girl a thank you text message – for the flowers and for having been so sweet earlier.

Charlotte had woken up in Becky’s bed - their bodies entangled. Somehow, during the night, their limbs had become intertwined – Becky’s arms were wrapped around Charlotte’s waist, hugging her from behind almost. The more blonde tried to loosen herself from Becky, the more the Irishwoman held on. She was like quicksand in that way. Eventually Charlotte relented and just enjoyed the impossible closeness of her girlfriend.

When Becky finally woke up, she realized Charlotte was already awake and started planting soft kisses along her shoulder. 

“Can this be my reality every morning?”, Becky murmured. “I love you so much, Charlie”.

“You’re still sleepy – none of this is real”, Charlotte joked.

“Can we have an autumn wedding? In Ireland?”, Becky said and chuckled afterwards.

“Shut up”, Charlotte said, turning so she could see Becky. “And we’re having a summer wedding”.

Becky got her bodyguard, Joe, to take Charlotte home an hour or so after they woke up. She almost instantly missed her girlfriend when she returned home.

_Charlotte: Got your flowers... I mean, I hope they’re from you._

_Becky: They are x_

_Charlotte: Well you should have really added a note._

_Becky: I couldn’t. I have no words for you x_

-

“I guess things went well at the studio... You’re smiling like a fat kid with a piece of cake”, Miz said as he and Becky walked down the corridor towards the McMahon Music boardroom.

Becky said nothing.

“You okay, Becks? I mean, besides the limp?”

Still no response from the rapper.

“What the hell is wrong now? You request this meeting last minute, you don’t wanna talk to me...”

“When we get in there – I’ll do the talking. You can...”, Becky halted and turned to Miz. “...for once in your life, shut the hell up”.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading x


	21. Caution

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 21 of 30!   
> Things are going to get bumpy and I want y'all to be prepared. 
> 
> This chapter's song is Unforgettable by French Montana ft. Swae Lee

Becky was determined not to be swayed by Stephanie McMahon’s coaxing. She’d met the woman before – knew how she operated. 

When Becky first signed for the label six years ago, Stephanie wanted to change everything about her. Different clothes, different hair colour, different on-stage persona. Becky fought against all those changes. She stood her ground then and she wasn’t going to let up now.

“Becky! It is so good to see you up and about. Paige tells me you’re even ready to start working again. That’s wonderful news”, Stephanie said as soon as Becky and Miz entered the conference room.

“She was in the studio today... Weren’t you, Becks?”, Paige asked.

“I was”, Becky answered, taking a seat at the glass table. Miz sat down next to her. “And Truth told me some interesting things”.

Stephanie arched an eyebrow. “And what would that be?”

“First he said that Paige over there, told him to lay down some new beats for me. Beats that I would never use. Don’t even sound close to what I usually do. And then he said my album’s suppose to come out in April. We decided on June months ago. You can’t change shit like that”.

“I thought it’d be ready by April and that you wouldn’t wanna wait...”, Paige began.

“And what about you telling my producer what to do?”, Becky asked angrily.

“I was just...”

“You’re right, Becky. You are absolutely right. Paige should not be doing things like that. In fact, she isn’t even part of A&R. That’s Micki’s job”. Stephanie nodded in the direction of a middle-aged brunette who was also seated by the table. “Micki James handles all our artists’ recording needs. She’s the liaison between artists and us... the business people”.

“And I’d really like to work with you, Miss Lynch”, Micki added.

Becky shifted her gaze from Micki to Stephanie. “I want Paige out. I don’t care what you do with her, but she is not allowed to talk to me or my people ever again”.

Stephanie’s face turned stern. “I can’t sanction that, Becky. Paige is an integral part of what we do here”. Stephanie tapped her fingers gently against the glass table. “Now, I know she overstepped a line and that you’re upset, but Paige isn’t going anywhere. She works well with Mike and together they have done so many things to elevate your career. Paige is the one who’s been putting out fires all over town. Fires that you started, Becky. As long as you’re signed to this label, Paige will be a part of your team. I can make sure she doesn’t always work with you directly, but she’s not going anywhere”.

Becky sat back in awe, unsure if whether she heard correctly. She shook her head. “Unbelievable... This is fucking unbelieving”.

“I have done nothing but support you, Becky. And even though I slipped up by changing things without your go-ahead, I whole-heartedly believe we can move passed it and continue our great working relationship”. Paige gave a victorious smile. 

“Well then it’s all settled. Everyone’s happy”, Stephanie said, readying herself to get out of her chair.

“No, no, no. This meeting isn’t over”, Becky held. “I want my album released in June and I want to choose the singles”. 

“That sounds... fair”, Stephanie said.

“And no more notes on how I’m supposed to act or present myself”, Becky said and crossed her arms.

“If you continue with the new ‘I’m the Man’-persona, then fine. We won’t change that”.

Becky sighed. It didn’t really feel like a victory. She was still stuck with Paige. She was still at a record label with a condescending boss who only cares about money.

“I’ll see myself out”, she said and languidly got out of the chair, her body aching still.

“You sure you don’t need any help?”, Paige asked. 

“From you? No”.

-

The house was quiet when Becky got back home. Mandy had gone back to her own apartment, Joe was there but he wasn’t much of a taker anyway and Billie and Peyton were probably getting ready to go out.

Becky made her way up the stairs and to her surprise, found Billie and Peyton’s door open. They’re bedroom door was almost always closed. Locked, too. She never thought it was weird – the needed their privacy. But now, seeing it open was rather strange. Becky limped over to the room and knocked on the frame of the door.

“Anyone here?”, she asked as she continued to make her way into the room.

The curtains were drawn. In fact, it looked like there hadn’t been natural light in the room for quite some time.

“Peyton, hey... you alright?”, Becky asked when she sees the Australian woman sitting on the edge of the bathtub. Their room, like all the others, was _en suite_ and the bathroom door was open, too.

“I can’t do this anymore, Becky. I tried... I really did, but... I can’t”. She wiped away her tears with her hand.

“What are you talking about, P? What’s going on?”, Becky settled down next to Peyton, putting her arm around her shoulder.

Peyton shook her head. “I feel like, like I’m drowning, Becky. I don’t wanna do this anymore. I can’t do this anymore”.

“What can’t you do anymore, hmm?”

“I can’t live like this. All the parties and the women and the drugs... I just can’t”.

“You don’t have to...”, Becky said and squeezed the girl’s shoulder. “You can stop doing all of that stuff... No one’s gonna stand in your way, in fact, I’ll help-”

“You don’t get it. This is what Billie wants. And if I don’t do it – she’ll leave me. I don’t wanna lose her. She went out... don’t know where she is and if she’s coming back”. Peyton sniffed. “I love that girl so much – I would do anything for her. I’ve been doing all this shit for her for the last five years”.

Becky listened carefully, saying nothing. 

"And I just don't know what to do anymore", Peyton said, still sobbing. 

"It's okay, P. I'm going to handle this", Becky assured. "Don't worry". 

-

“Have you heard about the vacancy at St. Helen’s in New York?”, Sonya asked as she entered the elevator with Charlotte.

“Yeah, Kevin told me about that”.

“So?”, Sonya asked, nudging Charlotte’s shoulder with hers.

“So?”. The blonde had a quizzical look on her face.

“Charlotte, you’ve always wanted your own practice. And you’ve always wanted to move to New York. I mean, damn, that’s all you talked about back when we were still...” Sonya decided not to finish that particular sentence.

Charlotte glanced at her. “That was years ago, Sonya. A lot of things have changed since then”.

“Yeah, no shit”. 

The elevator doors opened and Sonya got out. Charlotte did too, even though it wasn’t her floor.

“Hold up, what the hell is that suppose to mean?”, Charlotte asked the dark haired woman.

“Forget it. You’re right... that was a long time ago”.

“Clearly you’re still holding onto some shit, so just tell me”, Charlotte said, grabbing hold of Sonya’s arm in an attempt to hold her back.

She turned around. “It’s frustrating because obviously you would get that job if you applied. You’re exactly what they’re looking for. You’re young, you’re brilliant”.

“I like working here, Sonya. And living here...”

“Putting band-aids on scrapes? Is that why you went to med school?” Sonya chuckled. “When we were together I was always attracted to your ambition... But you’re right. A lot of things have changed”.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading x


	22. Therapy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlotte is back in therapy and Becky pays Naomi a visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, this was a difficult chapter to write because I needed to strike a balance between angst and lighter moments. 
> 
> Hopefully it worked out! 
> 
> Song for the chapter is Sense by Kllo

Charlotte watched as Dr. Daniel Bryan poured himself a glass of water. He took a sip and reclined back in his chair.

“Charlotte, how are you doing today?”, he asked in his usual soft spoken manner.

Charlotte smiled brightly. “I’m doing well, doc. Really well”.

Bryan nodded. “I can tell. There’s something different about you. Is 2019 just agreeing with you or is it something else?”

“I do feel like the new year’s brought a new sense of... promise”.

Bryan made a note of this in his book. “So you’re feeling excited about this year?”

“I am, yes”.

“And the holidays... how were they?”

Charlotte sighed. “Up and down... I spent time with my father and my girlfriend, but she got into a motor vehicle accident. It was a stressful few weeks, but she’s a lot better now”. She fiddled with her fingers in her lap. 

“I’m sorry to hear about the accident, but I’m glad she’s okay”. Bryan closed his notebook and looked directly at the blonde. “The last time you were here, you said you weren’t sure about this girl you’re seeing. That you found out she had a bit of a temper. I remember that worrying you quite a significant amount”.

Charlotte gave a quick nod. “She’s since explained her actions, doc... And I’ve forgiven her. I also know her better now and I know she won’t hurt me. Ever”.

Bryan scratched at his beard. “And did you tell her the truth? About your past?”

“Yes... all of it”.

“And what did she say?”

Charlotte smiled. “She wanted to exact revenge at first, but then... she told me she loved me”.

“And you believe her?”, the therapist asked.

“I do”, Charlotte answered earnestly.

Bryan opened his notebook again. He paged through it for a few seconds before stopping at the page he was looking for. “This is what you said in October. I’ll read it for you”. He cleared his throat and began to read. “I don’t think I love her yet, but I feel like I will, eventually. She might be keeping things from me – I’m not sure. Trust is a big issue. I don’t trust her yet”.

Charlotte’s head dropped and she tried to make sense of the guilt she felt. That was long ago and a lot of things have changed since then. But she couldn’t help but feel bad.

“Charlotte?”, Bryan asked when she noticed the blonde was unresponsive for a good two, maybe three minutes. “Do you still feel that way?”

-

 “Still can’t believe you’re doing this, Becks. You don’t know what she’s gonna do... how she’s gonna react”. Mandy looked worried. Becky didn’t understand why.

“I’m going to see how she’s doing. I don’t have any ulterior motives”.

“What if she doesn’t see it that way? What if she tries to fight you?”

Becky laughed. “She was shot and I have a limp. It’d be a very slow fight”. She struggled up the steps towards the door. Joe and Mandy were right behind her. She knocked on the door, looking back over her shoulder to Mandy and Joe. “You sure she’s here?”

“I think so”, Mandy said, looking uneasy.

The door was answered by a tall, well-built, tattooed man. His long hair was held up in a loose man-bun. “The fuck you doing here?”, he asked, narrowing his eyes at the Irish rapper.

“I came to see Naomi... She here?” Becky’s squared up to the man, not the least bit intimidated by his height or size.

“Bitch, you got some nerve comin’ here. Naomi don’t wanna see you. She don’t even like you... Last time y’all were in the same room you attacked her”.

Joe stepped up from behind Becky. “We don’t want trouble – this is a civil visit. If you want to make it less civil, well then...” Joe grinned. “...we can do that, too”.

The man still had a frown on his face, but he took a step back and got out of the way so Becky could enter.

“Just Lucky Charms... Not you two”, he said with a grin.

“We can’t let-”, Mandy began, but Becky cut her off.

“Don’t worry, Mandy... I won’t be long”.

Becky heard the guy close the door behind her, but she was too focused on the cool interior of the condo. Everything looked so fresh and modern. Panel lighting, vibrant colours – the sort of place you expect a creative person to have and definitely not the sort of place she imagined Naomi would like.

“I’mma go check if she wanna see you”, the man said. Becky gave a nod and watched him walk down towards the bedroom. 

She could hear low murmurs, but she wasn’t sure what was being said. After two minutes, he emerged from the bedroom.

“Go ‘head”, he said sulkily and jerked his head in the direction of the opened bedroom door.

Becky had a victorious grin on her face as she made her way across the hardwood floor.

-

Becky still knocked on the door before she entered the room.

“Man, I thought Jimmy was trolling me when he said you were out there”, Naomi said with a baffled look on her face.

“Trust me, if I wasn’t here right now, I wouldn’t have believed this either”. Becky crossed her arms. “How... how’re you doing?”

Naomi hesitated before she answered. “I’m fine, I guess. I got shot in the thigh. I’ll survive”.

Becky nodded. “And you don’t know who did this?”

“I don’t know... Got some people saying it was you”.

Becky couldn’t help but laugh. She shook her head. “I know. Trial by media. Half of your fanbase is convinced it was me. There was a ‘ _hashtag arrest Becky_ ’ floating around for a while”.

Naomi gave half a smile. “But I know it wasn’t you... You’re too much of a punk ass bitch to do something like that”. She sat up straight. “Look at you – here to see how I’m doing”.

Becky shrugged. “I was in a car accident. I know it sucks being stuck in bed”.

“Why are you really here, Lynch? You attacked me in a nightclub not too long ago”. Naomi leaned over and turned on the stereo.

“You started it... You insulted me... you insulted my _woman_ ”. Becky could feel the rage build up in her once again. She doesn’t even try to suppress it.

“I’m... I’m sorry I said what I did – especially the stuff about your girlfriend”. Naomi hung her head.

“Well then, why’d you say it?”, Becky asked. She was calmer now, but still on edge. 

“We trash talk, Lynch. It’s what we do. I might have taken it too far. She ain’t apart of this thing we got going on and I shoulda kept her out of it. But as soon as Paige brought it up I-”

Becky’s eyes widened. “Paige?”

“Yeah... she works for the label. I keep forgetting her last name, but... she’s British and-”

“Oh, I _know_ Paige. Trust me, I know exactly who she is”. Becky walked over to the chair stood by the large window and took a seat. “Paige works for you?”

Naomi raised an eyebrow. “She works for the label. Not exactly for me. Carmella liaises with her mainly”.

“And she told you to diss me and Charlotte?”

“She said you called me all kinds of names... then she dropped that you’re quite sensitive when it comes to your girl”.

Becky was about to say something when the song playing over the stereo catches her attention. It’s Naomi rapping and she’s never heard the song before, but it sounded oddly familiar. 

“Is that you?”, Becky asked softly.

“Yeah... new track I’ve been working on. Got a bit of that West Coast, Compton heat on it, ya know?”

Becky nodded and continued to listen closely. After a few seconds she was convinced.

“Where did you get this beat?”, she asked bluntly.

“Honestly? Paige sent it to Mella and said it was a beat Apollo didn’t want to use anymore. I just rolled with it”.

“I know this beat. I know it because my producer made it... for me. Paige told him to and he did...” Becky got out of the chair. “She gave you a beat she thought I was gonna use”.

Naomi turned the stereo down. “Why would she do that?”

Becky noticed Naomi’s calendar on the wall and the bright red circle drawn around the 17th of April. “What’s happening on the 17th?”, she asked.

Naomi sighed. “’Spose to be my EP’s drop date, but yesterday I got a call that the label is pushing it back to June. Probably ‘cos of the trail and shit”.

Becky looked down at Naomi, then back at the calendar. “I think I know what’s happening here”, she said softly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 22 down, eight to go xx
> 
> Thanks for reading


	23. Trust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, it's been a while... But I'm back with a fun new chapter to celebrate Freedom Day (yay)! 
> 
> Anyway, as always, I hope y'all enjoy reading this.  
> Song for the chapter is Final Fantasy by Drake, which I highly recommend you listen to.

Becky watched as Peyton picked at the salad in front of her.

“You feeling better?” Becky asked. Peyton gave the smallest of nods. “You wanna watch a movie? Maybe watch something”

“Billie hasn’t come home yet... or called or texted me”. Peyton pushed the bowl to the side. “I can’t... I can’t sleep, I can’t eat... I just wanna know if she’s okay. She isn’t picking up her phone. I’m so fucking worried, Becky”.

Becky sighed and reached across the table to cover the Australian woman’s hand with hers. “I’ll get Joe to go check out your usual hangout spots... Plus if she books into a hotel using my credit cards, I’ll get the alert – don’t worry”.

Peyton faked a smile. “Thank you, Becky. I think I’m gonna lie down for a bit”.

“Alright, love. Get some rest”.

 When Peyton disappeared up the stairs, Becky called Joe over. “Joseph! I need you to go look for Billie”.

“Got it, miss”, the burly bodyguard said.

Becky got up from the table and put on her jacket that had been hanging over the chair.“But first, drop me off at my woman’s house”.

-

Charlotte was still half asleep when she shuffled over to open the front door. 

“Hey Becks – what are you doing here?”, she asked, wiping through her eyes. 

The shorter woman frowned. “I came to see you, but if this is a bad time-“

Charlotte shook her head. “No,no... I was just taking a nap”. She extended her hand and pulled at the hem of Becky’s tank top. “But I’m glad you’re here ‘cos I missed you”.

A smile spread across the ginger’s face and she pulled Charlotte in for a hug.

-

“So what are you gonna do?”, Charlotte asked as she curled up next to Becky on the couch.

The Irishwoman sighed, snaking her arm around the other woman’s shoulder. “I have no idea. I guess I’ll know when I see her”.

“Just don’t...do anything irresponsible”.

Becky cocked an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Charlotte looked up and into Becky’s hazel eyes. “Nothing... I just meant – don’t do or say something that... you don’t have to. I know how you get when you’re upset”.

Becky kissed Charlotte’s temple. “Yeah... I won’t do anything stupid. It’s just... Peyton is like a sister to me – seeing her like this sucks. And it’s all my fault, too. I brought them here... I introduced them to this life and now...”

“Hey, don’t do that”, Charlotte moved her hand to stroke Becky’s cheek. “Don’t blame yourself for this. Yes, you brought them to the States... but you didn’t force them to take drugs or anything like that”.

“No, but I encouraged the partying. And I kept giving them money and... I just wish I never did that”. 

Charlotte walked her fingers down Becky’s arm. “I hate seeing you like this. I wish there was something I could do to make you feel better”.

“Just be here. That’s all I need from you, Charlie”.

Charlotte leaned in and gave Becky a quick kiss on the lips. “I love you in ways I can’t even express”. 

They kissed again, longer this time. But when they pull apart, Charlotte looked concerned. “You would never lie to me, right Becks?”

Becky shook her head almost mechanically. “No... of course not”. 

“Would you keep things from me?”

The ginger woman’s eyes searched for Charlotte’s. “I-I... wouldn’t”.

Charlotte smiled and ran her thumb along the curve of Becky’s jaw. “I just had to ask. I had to be sure”.

“You can trust me, love. I’ll always be honest with you”. She gave a blonde a kiss, deepening it when she hears Charlotte’s satisfied moans. But when they finally part, Charlotte asks a question Becky was never ready for.

“How many women have you been with?” 

Becky dropped her gaze and looked at the coffee table instead.

“I’m sorry, Becky, but this is something I’ve wanted to know ever since you asked me to be your girlfriend. It’s wrong – I know – to ask you something that personal, but if we’re gonna have a future together... It’s just something I need to know.

The rapper cocked her head to the side. It seemed as if though she was mauling over the numbers in her head. “In the last ten years? Probably a hundred, hundred and ten”. She focused her gaze back on Charlotte. “But I was a kid back then. I didn’t...”

“ _Becky_...”

“I was trying to fill a void – I was looking for love because I thought that would make me feel... better”. Becky shook her head. “But I didn’t love any of those girls. They probably didn’t love me either. I’ve changed though, Char, you know me. You’re the only woman I want now...

Charlotte shushed Becky by placing her finger on the rapper’s lips. “It’s okay, Becks. I don’t care about the number”. She kissed on the lips. “What matters is that you’re honest with me. And you are”.

Becky buried her hand in Charlotte’s platinum blonde hair and pulled her in for a feverish kiss.

“And how many women have you slept with?”, Becky asked in between kisses.

Charlotte trailed kisses down Becky’s neck. “Three”. She climbed on top of Becky, straddling her. “But I’ve been stuck on that number for a long time now”.

-

Peyton was woken up by the bedroom door slamming shut. She rolled over and saw Billie.

“Hey, you’re back!”, Peyton jumped off the bed, rushed over and nearly knocked her girlfriend over when she hugged her. “I was so fucking worried about you”.

“Why? I’m an adult. I can take care of myself”. Billie shrugged out of the hug and sat down on the foot of the bed, taking off her heels.

“You just disappeared and you didn’t answer my calls...”

“Because I was pissed off at you, so yeah, why would I take your calls?”

Peyton sat down next to the black haired woman. “You ghost on me for days and now _you’re_ being a bitch? I should be mad at _you_ ”.

Billie rolled her eyes. “I don’t wanna talk about this anymore”. She unzipped her dress and walked to the bathroom. Peyton decided to follow her.

“How would you feel if I did that shit, huh? I was worried sick about you. I thought you were dead in a ditch somewhere”.

“Oh like you care”, Billie said as she turned the tap on in the shower.

“Of course I care. I love you”. Peyton placed her on Billie shoulder. “I love you so fucking much”.

The shorter woman smiled. “You know what I want right now?”

Peyton shook her head.

Billie reached into the front of her bra and took out a baggy with two pills inside. She opened it carefully and took out the pills. “Xanax and shower sex”, she said with grin.

“Billie...”

“Open up, baby. Eat your candy”. Billie gave a victorious smile when she sees her girlfriend slowly opening her mouth.

-

Becky lovingly watched on as Charlotte scrolled on her phone, checking her messages. 

“Everything you do is sexy. Did you know that?”, Becky asked, wrapping her naked body in the sheets. 

“You’re silly”, Charlotte dismissed, but smiled despite herself.

“And you’re blushing”. Becky reached over to grab the phone from Charlotte hands. “Pay more attention to me, woman”. She gave the blonde a peck on the lips.

The doctor rolled her eyes, but pulled Becky closer and trailed her fingers down the rapper’s back. “Thank you”, she all but whispered and kissed Becky’s forehead.

“I should thank you... For trusting me and for letting me in”. Becky kissed Charlotte’s shoulder. “ _And_ for being the best I’ve ever had”.

“Really?”, Charlotte asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh yes, love”. Becky drew circles on Charlotte’s chest. “You’re really flexible”.

Charlotte shot a sideways look at Becky and smiled. “Shut up and cuddle me”.

The sun was setting, Charlotte could see it through the blinds. Becky was still curled up next to her, breathing slowly – falling asleep.

“Becks?”, the blonde asked.

“Yes, darling?”, the Irishwoman croaked.

Charlotte’s heart fluttered when she heard the new term of endearment from her girl. “Do you have any ambitions or goals? I mean, you’ve achieved so much already, but... are there things you still wanna do?”

Becky yawned. “Another number one album would be nice. Maybe a world tour. And I want to have my own studio where I make the music I wanna make”. She gave another yawn. “What about you, love?”

Charlotte thought for a while before she spoke. “I-I guess I’ve always wanted to a good doctor. But I don’t know what that means anymore”. She sighed. “I haven’t told you this but, I’m not a GP – I’m a trauma surgeon. I took this job because the hospital was short on staff and I wanted to help out because they’re kids, you know? But this isn’t what I wanted to do. Now there’s this job in New York City and they’re head-hunting me... and a big part of me really wants to...” Charlotte stopped when she hears Becky’s shallow breathing.

The blonde smiled at her slumbering girlfriend and placed a gentle kiss by her hairline. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The tags have been updated and there'll probably be more added as the story progresses.
> 
> Thanks for reading x

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr : RileySav7
> 
> Alternatively, email me : rileysav7@gmail.com


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